Firefighters' Holiday
“I will always be at my station, alert and attending to my duties” is part of the Firefighter’s Creed that rings true even during the holidays.
Sitting at Cattlemen’s Steakhouse in Stockyard City one night with my friends Michael and Emily Zurmehly, we started talking about Michael’s work as a Moore Firefighter. Naturally the conversation worked its way to the topic of food and something that I had always wondered about. I asked, “What do you guys do for food during the holidays… you’re working, right?”
Little did Michael know, I had been racking my brain for a topic to center this year’s holiday edition that you are currently reading (and we thank you. Please visit our advertisers.) when the idea hit! FIREFIGHTERS!
Yes, firefighters are on duty during the holidays. 24/7/365 actually. Fires, car accidents, gas leaks, or medical emergencies do not stop just because it is Thanksgiving day or Christmas Eve. In fact, if I were a betting man (which I am), the holidays are probably when we need these men and women the most.
Although fire brigades have been around for centuries, most notably beginning in Ancient Rome (yes, I know two-thirds of Rome burnt down in 64 AD, but they only had buckets and a local water source… and togas!), the United States did not have a government- run firefighting organization until around the Civil War. Flash forward to the 2015 statistics from the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and the estimated number of firefighters in the United States was 1,160,450. Of that, 30% were “career firefighters” and 70% were “volunteer” with only 7.3% of the estimated total being women. Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years Day, their holidays are filled with intermittent blaring messages from speakers throughout the station, filled with code and numbers from the dispatcher along with all the literal bells and whistles.
So the question is, what do they eat? How do these men and women celebrate with food? When we are munching on carrot sticks, broccoli florets, and Ranch dressing watching Thanksgiving Day football, what are they doing? Honestly, probably the same. They are just doing it in between medical alert bracelets going off, home smoke alarms sounding, and god forbid a true and honest five alarm fire.
For this holiday issue, we focused on three fire departments in and around the Oklahoma City Metro: the Nichols Hills Fire Department; the Moore Fire Department, Station 3; and the Oklahoma City Fire Department, Station 17. We got a glimpse into their everyday work life, their camaraderie, and for our own purposes this holiday season, the food each department and station enjoys while simultaneously celebrating the season and protecting and rescuing the rest of us.
Covering these three fire departments and the firefighters that occupy them has allowed great insight into their everyday lives while on duty. These are days when they think it’s just going to be a two-call shift, and a devastating tornado rips through, like in Moore on May 20, 2013, or days like a beautiful sunny spring one in April, when nothing remarkable could happen, and yet something terrible happened. When the Murrah Building in downtown OKC was bombed on April 19, 1995, it changed this city, these firefighters, all of us, forever.
Now, after experiencing a taste (no pun intended) of firefighter life, I’m a little more “woke” when it comes to these first responders. I immediately spot fire hydrants now, or “plugs”, when I pass one. I take more interest in looking for the Station number on the side of an Oklahoma City fire truck when it drives by to see if I can tell whether it is a ladder truck or WCA (Water Carrying Apparatus) truck. It is things like that, like the number on a side of a truck, that are meant to stand out for a purpose that most of us do not recognize. These details identify: identify to us who they serve, identify to other firefighters their territory, mostly because it is a badge of honor and show of pride. And these firefighters are seriously proud of their stations. And according to the monumental amounts of caramel corn, Christmas cookies, fudge, and the occasional fruit cake delivered to these stations this time of year, residents are proud of them too.
In any event, I’m pretty sure these firefighters would tell us not to waste too much thought on them and to enjoy the holidays ourselves because after all, this selflessness is what they do. Always at their stations, alert, and attending to their duties.
Whatever you celebrate and however you cook, I wish you great joy, health, and happiness this holiday season! And please, don’t burn the house down.
Nichols Hills Fire Department
When G.A. Nichols purchased 2,700 acres of farmland and prairie north of Oklahoma City in 1929 to create a sprawling relaxed community, he had high hopes this now chartered municipality would be a thriving and beautiful retreat from the hustle and bustle of early 20th century Oklahoma City for many families. With the eventual growth of Nichols Hills came the need for a fire department, and the Nichols Hills Fire Department (NHFD) was duly established in 1937.
Fast forward to 2018 and the NHFD is thriving in their year-old, newly renovated fire station, complete with kitchen: a kitchen perfect enough for each shift to prepare breakfast and lunches on their own and large enough to knock out dinners as a shift together or even as a whole station during the holidays.
Lieutenant Lance Burchett, alongside his fellow “Red Shift” crew, Captain Todd Mays and Firefighter Trent Black, do not mind working the holidays. “If it’s our shift, we’re on duty. It’s what we do!” Burchett says. “And we typically cook something a little different than the usual holiday food.”
The guys say most of the time, holiday or not, it’s every man for himself when it comes to breakfast and lunch. There may be the occasional shift breakfast on weekends, but generally each shift will pool their money together for a shift dinner with pantry basics provided by the City of Nichols Hills.
“We’ll run next door to Trader Joe’s or another place and pick something up for dinner. We have an outdoor grill in the back and a lot of us like to grill for dinner,” Burchett adds.
It turns out this crew lives on the edge…well, on the edge as compared to the typical meat and potato kind of firefighter. “The blackened tuna tacos have been around awhile and a lot of the guys like it. Kind of a house speciality with the broccoli wasabi-Ranch slaw and black beans. I just got to be the lucky one who cooks it,” Burchett laughs with the other two agreeing.
Along with the tuna tacos, the firefighters at NHFD have plenty of other holiday fare to contend with. Captain Mays recounts the outpouring of support they get from the community. “People bring in all kinds of things during the holidays...the good stuff like homemade candy, caramel corn, cookies.” Firefighter Black adds “Your wife made pumpkin muffins last year that were awesome!” So the guys, and all the shifts of the NHFD, are well taken care of, food-wise, thanks to a great community and family.
Moore Fire Department, Station 3
When Moore was just considered a “village,” the people of Moore had three defenses to fight fire emergencies: a public water well dug at the corner of Main and Broadway, a bucket brigade of citizens, and pistols firing in the air as an alarm to alert those citizens. *
A lot has changed in Moore regarding fire protection, including a proper fire department established in 1916. Today, the Moore Fire Department has four stations to cover the city’s twenty-two square miles, broken down into districts that logistically cover the four corners of Moore. Station 3 covers a lot of rural area, including an area called “No Man’s Land” as Corporal John Rausch explains.
“No man’s land in Station Three’s district is an area where Moore butts up against Oklahoma City. We’ll get out there and then Oklahoma City will show up too and we just say ‘We got it, guys!’ But whoever shows up, the citizens are always taken care of. It’s always a race to see who makes it out there first!”
When I approached my friend Michael Zurmehly of the Moore Fire Department with the idea about firefighters and the holidays, Michael had three words: “Yes!” and “Chet Thompson!”
Corporal Chet Thompson with the Moore Fire Department, Station 3 is a pretty big deal when it comes to the Moore Fire Department. Not only for his years of service in firefighting, but also throughout the four fire stations in Moore as “The Chef!”
“I’ve always loved to cook,” Thompson says, and apparently he has well-established roots cooking in Moore.
“My grandfather opened a restaurant here in 1945 after World War II called 77 Drive In. It was located at Main and Broadway (the old Highway 77) and was the only restaurant in town for the population of 500 people back then,” according to Thompson.
So it makes sense that he is the firefighter to call when the City of Moore has city wide cookouts, or the fire department is sponsoring golf tournaments, or even for the retirement parties of fellow firefighters.
“Yeah they’ll call me for cookouts and department parties. I have done everything from grilling hot dogs for 200 people for the city to prime rib dinners for guys that are retiring… and Christmas too!”
The holidays at any of the three Moore Fire Stations are filled with calls from dispatch. “We get a few medical emergency calls, a lot of smoke alarms, and the occasional turkey fryer accident,” the rest of the crew on duty, Lt. David Crutchfield, Cpl. Jason Smith, and Cpl. John Rausch add to the conversation. “Otherwise it’s pretty quiet. Pretty much the same things we would be doing at home on Thanksgiving. Football. Family stopping by. Eating,” Thompson laughs.
One of Chet’s favorite meals to make while on duty during the holidays is his Cajun Fried Turkey. “Well, it’s one of the guys’ favorites too,” he grins as any chef with a following would do. Pair that up with his twice baked potatoes and his homemade Caesar salad, which is “the original recipe…from Tijuana!” Thompson adds for authenticity and a laugh.
*Source City of Moore, Moore Fire Department
Oklahoma City Fire Department, Station 17
When the small volunteer Oklahoma City Fire Department (OKCFD) formed in 1889, they were the fire emergency protectors of less than 10,000 people. Eventually in 1894, the “12 able bodied men” of the OKCFD were no longer volunteer and it was decided they could be paid fifty cents per hour of actual firefighting. Today the OKCFD are the medical, fire, and emergency first responders to the more than 600,000 residents of Oklahoma City. With thirty-six strategically placed fire stations throughout the city, and a little more than 1000 firefighters, the residents of OKC are in great hands. * From The Oklahoma City Fire department website
One OKC fire station, Station 17, is located centrally in north OKC and covers a good chunk of retail, restaurants, and residents. Corporal Sherry Summers, firefighter for the OKCFD for the last 27 years, has been on duty at Station 17 for 15 years. Sherry is also lovingly known to her fellow firefighters as Big Mamma, and when it comes to the holidays, Big Mamma can cook!
“Meals at the station aren’t always at the hands of one person,” Major Ron Berry tells us, and as it turns out, “either those that can cook, do so, and those that can not cook join in to help anyway.” He laughs.
But yes, food is important when it comes to firefighting. When firefighters are out on a major call that can take 2-4 (plus) hours to control, a lot of energy is spent and calories are needed to refuel. Easy to prepare meals like spaghetti are a staple in any fire station, not only for the fuel it provides but also for cost. “Plus it holds up good if we accidentally leave it out!” Berry adds.
“We, like any group, are on a budget so we pool our money along with the stipend we get from the City. Spaghetti goes a long way!” That comment from the major seemed to get a grin out of everyone.
Major Berry, Lieutenant Robert Jenner, Corporals Jason Gonzales and John Lancaster often join “Big Mamma” in the kitchen to knock out one of the station’s favorite holiday meals: chicken, shrimp, and sausage jambalaya. It’s all hands on deck when the shift is hungry, and without a word of direction from Sherry, the guys all know what their individual tasks are.
“This recipe is actually from another OKCFD fireman, Jon Cooke. I modified it a little bit to fit our dietary needs here at the station. We have a member with Celiac’s Disease so a lot of times we fit in group meals that are gluten and wheat free. But it’s really good, and everyone joins in to help out!” Sherry says while pulling out one the station’s many and well-seasoned cast iron skillets.
Because Station 17’s district covers locations like Penn Square Mall, Lakehurst, Belle Isle, and central North May Avenue, days leading up to the holidays can be busy, which does not lend much time to pre-plan a big holiday meal at the station.
With a proud smile watching her “Holy Trinity” sauté for the jambalaya, Sherry says, “We’re busy anyway at this station. All of the retail and restaurants, nursing homes, Northwest Expressway…so the days leading up to the holidays keep us going. When it’s time to eat during the holidays, everyone pretty much pitches in, or family will stop by and bring potluck. We’re lucky to have that kind of support.”
