CENTRAL POINT, Ore. — Thanksgiving is time to relax with family, friends, and good food. But for some emergency service workers, it means work and responsibility on top of all those things.
“It’s time away from our families but we’re trying to make the most of it,” said Battalion Chief Jeff Bancroft, Fire District 3.
It may be a holiday, but firefighters are still hard at work.
“As we cover all the emergencies that happen, they don’t stop just because it’s Thanksgiving or just because it’s Christmas day,” he said.
Bancroft is working a 48-hour shift along with 4 other crew members.
He says they don’t get too many calls on Thanksgiving.
“People usually stay at home,” he said. “They’re in groups together taking care of each other, so if there’s medical emergencies there’s usually people there who can help out.”
And with all the quiet… comes time to celebrate.
“We eat, we sleep, we watch t.v., football games…,” said Leroy Brite, firefighter.
With a turkey cooking in the oven and family by their side, the firehouse is a home away from home.
“We’ve got the abilities to have our families here with us and that’s been big for us for my entire time, for my entire career,” he said. “It’s special.”
But if that alarm sounds, they’re ready to spring into action.
“You never know and that’s why we’re here…,” said Bancroft. “Because we’re ready for any emergency.”
Fire District 3 wants to wish everyone a happy Thanksgiving as well as a reminder to be safe this holiday, especially when cooking turkeys.
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