Working During The Holidays, Not A Problem For These Firefighters

GEORGIA – When you sit down with your family to enjoy dinner during the holidays, someone always says, or at least thinks, "I feel sorry for everyone who is at work right now." Well, there's a certain group of Metro Atlanta area firefighters who say, "Don't feel bad for us, we like it this way."

As it turns out, most firefighters across the country share the same type of scheduling. In either a blessing or a curse, once every three years, each firefireghter will be working on Thanksgiving. That automatically means they'll also be working Christmas and New Year's. Firefighters at Fire Station Number 10 in Douglasville call it a blessing, and just maybe, all firefighters do.

"On Thanksgiving we have a big get-together and the families are invited to the firehouse," said 12-year firefighter Sgt. Bryan Harrell. "They come eat with us. We all pitch-in and share responsibilities for cooking."

This past year, Fire Station No. 10 had about 25 people at their firehouse Thanksgiving, about eight of whom were actual firefighters. A firetruck is moved out and tables are set up in the bay, where everyone digs into the firefighting feast.

"It's actually a good time," Harrell said. "With our work family at the firehouse 24 hours a day; sometimes we spend more time with these guys than our actual family. "

Three-year firefighter Cole Gazaway said all holidays are handled the same way.

"Families are invited to the firehouse on Christmas and New Year's as well," he said. "It's a good time for everybody. Unless you get promoted or change stations, you get to spend time with the same crew every year. Some crews stay mostly together for 18, 19 years or more."

According to Sgt. Chad Arnold, who has been with Douglas County for 23 years, "Firefighters like to eat. We like a traditional meal on New Year's, like greens, black eyed peas and collard greens."

That may be true, for southern firefighters at least, but everything doesn't always go as planned. Frequently there are fire calls right around the time firefighters are ready to sit down and dig in.

"You gotta go," Arnold said. "At bigger stations, not everyone leaves so someone can stay around to cook. But at smaller ones, the whole station has to leave and you have to start from scratch whenever you get back."

Fire station No. 10 had about 15 calls on Thanksgiving, which is busy, they said, but also about average.

"I remember in 1999 we started eating way late," Arnold said. "Everything that could go wrong, did go wrong. We kept trying to cook a turkey and we had a church that caught on fire."

Laurie Hucks has been a firefighter for three years and her three kids love it.

"They're very excited about it," she said. "Who wouldn't be? They get to go to a big fire station."

Gazaway's father worked as a firefighter in Douglas County for 31 years and he said he spent at least six or eight holidays at the firehouse.

"I brought my friends from school," he said. "They loved it. You have to do something to make them think you're cool. Climbing around on a firetruck would work every time."

So if you have to work during the holidays this year, try to do what these firefighters do and make it a family affair. Or at least make the most of it.

Photo by Patch Editor John Barker

Some of the firefighters from Douglasville's Fire Station No. 10 are: from left, Kevin Colbert, Steven Crocker, Sgt. Bryan Harrell, Cole Gazaway, Laurie Hucks and Sgt. Chad Arnold