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Spending Thanksgiving with Salt Lake City Fire Department

Posted at 9:54 PM, Nov 23, 2017
and last updated 2017-11-23 23:54:13-05

SALT LAKE CITY - While families across the U.S. got the day off to enjoy Thanksgiving with loved ones and friends, many people including first responders spent the day at work.

At Salt Lake City Fire Department's Station 11 Thursday evening, the crew hung out while waiting to respond to calls.

If laughter, food and telling stories make up the recipe for Thanksgiving, then Station 11 is right on the mark.

The fire fighters even enjoyed a turkey dinner with all the fixings.

"They fed me pretty well, it was good," said fire fighter/paramedic Garrett Wood.

Though, the guys there are still away from their families.

"Some separation there with our families, and some close friends," said Fire Captain Michael Harp. "But, someone's got to work."

He said their shift runs for 48 hours.

"Not only do we not get to be with our families today on Thanksgiving... we don't get to see them tomorrow as well," he said.

While Harp said Thanksgiving stayed quiet, they did respond to a couple of medical calls and a minor oven fire.

"You know what was in the oven-- turkey," Harp said, adding with a smile, "Someone probably had a little crispier turkey than they wanted today."

Thursday evening, a working structure fire call came in. The report included smoke and flames coming from a house.

The chatter at Station 11 crew grew quiet and serious, as they listened to the radio and waited on standby to respond.

"You get used to it that things can change at a moment's notice, so you're always prepared before the call," Harp said.

The fire turned out to be just outside of their coverage area, so they didn't need to go.

Instead, they waited for the next call, enjoying the food and conversation, as they spent time with their work family for the holiday.