HAMMOND — While many families gathered around their Thanksgiving tables Thursday, firefighters at the Hammond Fire Department spent the holiday on duty, a tradition they’ve upheld for decades.

Twenty firefighters worked the holiday shift, preparing their own meal inside the station between calls. District Chief Bryan Needham, who has spent 21 Thanksgivings with the department, said the day starts like any other: with morning duties followed by hours of cooking.

“We start off our day with our daily duties and we start cooking early,” Needham said.

Even away from home, Needham said, Thanksgiving still brings familiar comforts.

“My favorite personal Thanksgiving food? My wife’s dressing,” he said, adding that he misses it each year but remains grateful for whatever makes it to the firehou

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