SUFFOLK, Va. (WAVY) – While many residents have Christmas Day off, many local first responders were still working through the day.
This includes those at Fire Station 5 in Suffolk, where firefighters were celebrating Christmas but were still ready to take a call at a moment’s notice.
“When you take that oath to become a firefighter, it is to protect and serve at all costs,” Tommy Thomasson, Battalion Chief with the Suffolk Department of Fire and Rescue, said.
Suffolk firefighter Ross Walters added that working on the holiday is not so bad because they have each other.
“It’s unfortunate I don’t get to be with my family, my wife, my two kids, but being able to spend time with these people, my second family, it’s been really wonderful,” Walters said.
Over at Station 2 in Chesapeake, firefighter and EMT Megan Gallo said working on Christmas is part of what she signed up to do.
“We work every day as we would. Just because it’s a holiday doesn’t mean it’s any different for us,” Gallo said. “We all took an oath when we came into this job to dedicate ourselves to the citizens and the city of Chesapeake.”