Columbia firefighters share Thanksgiving meal at Station 1
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
While many people spend Thanksgiving at home with their families, the firefighters at Columbia Fire Department's Station 1 on Orr Street spend the holiday on-duty and responding to calls.
Columbia Firefighter Chase Huthman said Thanksgiving morning begins just like any other.
“It's just just about the same, just a lot more food this time,” Huthman said. “We did a workout this morning around 7 (a.m.), and then we started on the turkey right after.”
This is Huthman's first Thanksgiving with the Columbia Fire Department.
"So I'm new to this this year," Huthman said. "I'm about a year, a little over a year on."
This is also his first Thanksgiving not spent with family. He said though it's different, he feels at home at Station 1.
"The guys here have made it feel just like I'm at home,” Huthman said. “My family actually came by this morning. They have their family traditions. They like to go up north and see my grandparents. But they came in, brought some pies and contributed to our our time here and said hello before they headed out.”
Among those cooking in the kitchen was Firefighter Amanda Caldwell. She said the preparation is a big undertaking because they're feeding staff and some of their families.
"We're doing turkey and ham, charcuterie boards," Caldwell said. "We're going to do a green bean casserole, deviled eggs, some fried bacon wrap, stuffing balls, mashed potatoes. Yeah, there's a lot of stuff going on."
She is looking forward to her family sharing in the station's Thanksgiving meal later this afternoon.
"I've got some family coming in from out of town," Caldwell said. "My cousin had two 5-month-old boys, so this is my first time that I'm going to meet them. And then I've got a 3-year-old niece and she was a fireman for Halloween. So yeah, she's excited. She's excited to see the truck."
Caldwell said firefighters' families are welcome to visit the station at any time, but many are waiting to join the crew for a sit-down dinner later today.
Check back for more updates or tune in to ABC 17 News at 6 for the full story.
