Inside a Sacramento fire station’s Thanksgiving when duty keeps calling

Sac Metro Fire crews in South Sacramento spent Thanksgiving balancing family time with nonstop emergency calls, highlighting the demands first responders face on holidays. Firefighter Taylor Silva shared dinner at Station 50 with his wife and daughters before calls pulled crews away repeatedly. The department often responds to more than 300 calls on Thanksgiving, from medical aid to car crashes and house fires. Battalion Chief Parker Wilbourn says their 24/7, year-round service is part of the job, noting Metro Fire handled around 100,000 calls this year. After hours of back-to-back emergencies, firefighters briefly gathered to finish their Thanksgiving meal, supported by a community member who stopped by with food.