Christmas at the firehouse for Seminole County first responders

WINTER SPRINGS, Fla. - "We've got a rib roast here, turkey, sautéed green beans, braised mini-carrots, hashbrown casserole, mashed potatoes, creamed spinach, some desserts, chicken wings for appetizers," said Lt. Jason Joyce, from Seminole County Fire Rescue, "so we're not going to go hungry!" 

When you're a firefighter, this is often how you'll spend your Christmases – eating dinner at the fire station with your crewmates.

The firefighters at Seminole County Fire Station 27 say spending the holidays away from your loved ones comes with the territory. 

"I've been doing this for 17, going on 18 years. They get with it. Sometimes they actually come and get invited to sit with us and have dinner and stay with us when this is not possible," says Greg Harlow, a Seminole County battalion chief.

Firefighters say they spend a third of their lives together. They say their crew becomes almost as close as their family. 

"Just like at home," said Ryan Hart, a firefighter and paramedic, "it's kind of that love-hate relationship. Sometimes you're fighting, sometimes everything's great. But, that's how I describe it. It's a brotherhood, for sure, and you really bond."

They say the morning was quiet, but things picked up in the afternoon. 

They could be called out for anything, but they say there are some kinds of calls more typical for the holidays. 

"Which tends to be where somebody had something in the oven, and they forgot about it," Harlow said. "We show up and the fire is already out, and they burned the turkey or steak or whatever they had in there."

No matter what though, this family will be ready when the call comes. 

"We're going to work together as a team, Hart said, "to try and mitigate any hazards and medical issues going on and safely get people where they need to be and help 'em out."