Firefighters stay ready to respond even on Thanksgiving: 'We have a servant's heart'

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- Close to 150 Raleigh firefighters are on the clock this Thanksgiving, sacrificing time away from family to serve their community.

ABC11 checked in with firefighters working at Station 12 on Poole Road, where the close to dozen firefighters at that station will be working 24-hour shifts.

Raleigh Fire Department Capt. Addison Lynch says it's all part of the job.

"We have a servant's heart, so we try to make our lives adjust," he said.

Lynch's daughter celebrated her birthday on Thanksgiving, so they decided to celebrate a day earlier.

"Yesterday we did our celebration and celebrate my daughter's sixth birthday," he said. "So we took her out for ice cream last night."

This dedication Lynch and others have to serving their community results in them missing a lot of familial celebrations.

"It's hard, but at the end of the day, a lot of our families, I think they understand," said RFD probationary firefighter Dylan O'Donoghue. "This is kind of what you have to do."

Their days start pretty normal. Firefighter Caleb Stancil says he starts in the morning by checking their truck and gear.

"I start off with the truck. I check off absolutely everything and make sure everything's ready to go," he said. "These guys are a family and themselves, and that helps a lot."

Thanksgiving and the colder weather months are some of the busiest times of the year for them.

"Things just from people getting together for the holidays," said O'Donoghue. "People cooking meals, accidents happen. So it's a lot of cooking-related calls or possible fires from cooking."

They say take the time now to be prepared for a fire.

"Thinking about candles, things like that around the house," said Lynch. "Christmas lights, make sure you have working smoke detectors. A fire extinguisher near your kitchen and know how to use it."

Still, they say the best part of the job for them is helping their neighbors on some of the worst days of their lives.

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"You get to make a difference. I mean, every day we get to go out and help people, and that's something that's so rewarding for us," said Stancil.

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