DURHAM, N.C. — Fires don’t stop burning, and the phone lines don’t stop ringing just because it’s Thanksgiving.
What You Need To Know
Firefighters are one of many groups in the labor force who did not receive Thanksgiving off
Jason Ruger has 25 years of experience
Ruger works at Durham Firehouse No. 7
Some Durham firefighters were working the holiday instead of spending it with family and friends.
For Durham fire engine driver Jason Ruger the commitment he makes to the community doesn’t pause simply because of turkey and dressing.
“It’s tough especially when you have young kids, and I have three daughters. It’s tough when you don’t actually get to spend the time with them,” Ruger said. “They know. They understand. They’re 9, 11 and 17.”
The time he can't spend with them is the time occupied by his second family: Fire Station No. 7.
After 25 years of this line of work, Ruger said it is part of the job.
“We’ve all kind of gotten used to it,” he said.
Each of the firefighters who were on the clock Thursday pulled money out of their own pockets to create their own version of a Thanksgiving meal.
What will not get old for Ruger and his other firemen is giving each other a hard time.
“Hanging out with your buddies. We’re all friends and we all enjoy each other,” he said.
The jabs are good-natured in a fun and funny way to show gratitude for one another.
Most of the men have worked alongside one another for years, if not decades.
Shift Captain Steve Dolan sat on the other end of the living room couch from Ruger. This is a common waiting area for crews where they save their energy between calls.
Dolan pointed to Ruger’s smoke-stained fire coat with a smile across his face.
“A real hero’s jacket there,” Dolan said.
Ruger turned around to reply to his shift boss.
“OK, your majesty. I’m requesting that you please stop," Ruger said.
In between exchanges of at each other’s expense, the men found time to boil a turkey outside on the back porch of the fire station.
Ruger looked down at the thermometer in the boiling pot. “It’s about 315 degrees,” he said.
Ruger has cooked the traditional bird of choice for these meals in the past.
“A lot of trial and error,” the firefighter said with a smile.
While his family wasn’t physically with him, his daughters are physically inked on him.
From top to bottom on his left forearm, the 44-year-old tattooed their names: Lillian, Shelby and Phoebe.
“They are with me everywhere I go,” he said.