“It’s definitely why I got into this business. It’s really rewarding to run calls on a day like today,” Silva said.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Sacramento Metro Fire first responders spent this Thanksgiving balancing holiday moments with the constant pull of emergency calls at Station 50 in South Sacramento.

Families gathered at the station so firefighters working the holiday could still share part of the day with loved ones. But within minutes of ABC10 arriving, crews were already jumping up to respond to another call — one that came in just as they were preparing to sit down for Thanksgiving dinner.

Firefighter Taylor Silva, a father of two, said the interruptions are simply part of the work. “It’s definitely why I got into this business. It’s really rewarding to run calls on a day like today,” Silva said.

Silva’s wife and daughters visited the station to spend the holiday with what he called his second family. “It’s fantastic. It’s one of my favorite ways to spend the holiday,” Silva said. He added that spending time with his fire family — the people he spends a third of his life with — makes the day special.

But the spread of fried turkey, enchiladas, and pumpkin pie had to wait. Sac Metro Fire said they can respond to more than 300 calls on a day like Thanksgiving, including medical aid, car crashes and house fires.

Battalion Chief Parker Wilbourn said the team’s commitment doesn’t pause for holidays. “We’re open 365 days a year, and 24 hours a day,” Wilbourn said. “And we’re gonna continue to do that today and through the night and into tomorrow.”

Wilbourn reflected on the year and the impact crews have had. “I look back in the last year and the upwards of 100,000 calls that Metro Fire has ran and the impact that we have in the community, the lives that are saved… for them to come together and have a meal on this day because we had an impact in their lives is so special,” he said.

After a couple of hours of back-to-back calls, firefighters finally sat down together for dinner — only to be interrupted again by another incoming call.

ABC10 witnessed a community member stop by the station to deliver food to firefighters working the holiday. First responders said people often show their gratitude, and they appreciate the support.

Watch more: National Guard member killed in D.C. attack as USCIS halts Afghan immigration

ABC10: Watch, Download, Read