MONONA, Wis. — Christmas Day is a time when almost everyone spends time with their families.
For many first responders, that is not an option.
Jeremy McMullen is the fire chief at the Monona Fire Department. He said this is the 24th year in a row he has worked on Christmas Day.
“So we do get Christmas cards not just from neighboring departments but from folks in the community,” said McMullen while looking through cards sent to his staff during the holiday season.
McMullen said during the holidays his department is always at minimum staffing but his team often sees an increase in call volume.
“We actually see an increase in calls mainly because we get a lot of visitors, so a lot of folks have their parents and grandparents over for Christmas and all of their associated health problems come into the city,” said McMullen.
He said on Christmas Eve, his department received nine calls; the day before that, they had nine calls and by 10 a.m. on Christmas Day, his team had responded to two calls.
“My philosophy over all of the years that I have been doing this is that if my staff is working as I am. I don’t get to take a day off just because I am the chief. It is a regular day,” said McMullen.
McMullen said after over two decades of working on Christmas, his family has gotten used to it, but for some younger first responders, it can be a difficult conversation to have.
“Especially if you have little kids at home, it gets a lot tougher to explain why mom or dad can’t be home because they are working today,” said McMullen.
McMullen said the community is always very supportive of him and his team. He said on top of sending cards, they send tons of Christmas meals.
