Many have to work on holiday

By eric seiverling

eseiverling@yourmvi.com

With the Thanksgiving holiday here, families and friends will gather to watch parades, feast on turkey, enjoy football and relax from the chaos of jobs, traffic and telephones.

But as you sit down to enjoy your turkey or settle into your favorite recliner to watch all-day football, pause and give thanks to the many firefighters, police, EMTs, doctors and nurses who either work on holidays to ensure patients receive around-the-clock care or who are ready to selflessly leave their families should an emergency occur at dinner time.

Firefighters, police and EMTs respond to calls on Thanksgiving ranging from downed trees to grease spills on ovens to vehicle accidents and massive structure fires.

“This is a tough time of year for volunteer firefighters,” said Robert Whiten Jr., fire chief for the Charleroi Fire Department. “Since we’re volunteers, we don’t have people at the station, but volunteers are always on alert. Volunteers are having parties at their own homes. Everybody wants to stay home, eat turkey and have some adult drinks.”