Firefighters are very common in my family. My dad’s a firefighter, and so are two of my uncles, three of my cousins, and my grandpa. I guess you could say it runs in our blood. And to make another connection to firefighting, my boyfriend is also a firefighter and so is his brother and his dad. Plus, I know at least half of the department where my dad serves, so I am very much connected to firefighters. And I love my firefighters! And if you love a firefighter I’m sure you can relate to a lot of these.

1. When the pager goes off.

The timing is unpredictable, and you can’t guarantee it won't go off on the holidays, or during some important event. However, you can tell him he can’t go if it’s something really important, like a wedding, especially if it’s his, or something else important.

2. When he leaves important events.

Sure you can tell him he can’t leave, but that’s ultimately his decision. But hopefully he doesn't leave you stranded somewhere and just takes you to the station with him. If he hears the page and he decides he’s going, there’s really no turning back. And yes, he is fully aware that you may get upset if he leaves, but him leaving could be the difference between a deadly fire or just a bad fire.

3. You can’t always count on spending the holidays, birthdays, or anniversaries with them.

They might have to work the station that day, or maybe there’s a bad call that they need him at. You may have made plans, but if you’re still in town, and there’s a call you can bet he’s gonna go. Yeah it kinda sucks, but it forces you to make the most of the time you have with them.

4. When he goes on a call.

He’ll want you to know when he’s on a fire run so he’ll shoot you a quick text or if you’re in the middle of a phone call, he’ll say there’s been a fire call and he loves you and hang up.

5. That look they get when they come home from a long call or a bad call.

You can read it right from their face, they don’t even have to open their mouth. Sometimes, it’s just a zombie type look they get. Don’t force them to talk about it, they’ll tell you if and when they’re ready.

6. You know the difference between sirens.

You get to be the expert as time goes on and you can tell just by listening whether it’s a police car, ambulance, or fire truck.

7. You develop a sixth sense in which you can hear sirens from miles away.

Just the other night my mom and I were sitting in the living room with the windows open and then we got really quiet and gave each other the look like, “do you hear what I hear,” and sure enough the fire truck and police sped past our house within a couple of minutes.

8. When the department gets a new truck.

It’s a big deal. They will insist you come down to the station and see all the new features of the rig. When they talk about it to other people, you might have to catch their drool because it’s basically like Christmas for a little kid but for adults.

9. You’ve been to the station countless times and know where everything is.

Whether you need to microwave something, or a bottle of water, or just want to wash your car, you know where everything is.

10. And you know who everyone is.

And you know who most people are, or at least their last name since that’s what they usually go by at the station and it's pretty visible on all their gear.

11. People know you as “so and so’s girlfriend/daughter/etc.”

They might actually know your name, but you may be “so and so’s girlfriend/daughter/etc.” for a while, especially when being introduced to someone new.

12. 10 more minutes really means another hour till he leaves the firehouse.

It could be a while till he comes home, and he’ll tell you it’ll be soon, but just sit back and watch another episode or two on TV.

13. Nothing good ever comes from a group of bored firefighters.

For example, they might not get the bright idea of rewiring one of the fire trucks until 10 o'clock at night and end up being there till 2 or 3 AM. Or they might just do strange or dumb stuff to entertain themselves.

14. You have a bunch of firefighter clothes.

Whether it be left over shirts from a fundraiser, or just new department t-shirts, you’ve got it.

15. They're like a second family.

You have Christmas parties together, and other get-togethers throughout the year and you can always count on them for a helping hand.

16. You’ll always support and love your firefighter.

Even when things get tough within the department or between the department and the city, you’ll support him. No matter what, he’s yours and you’ll always have his back and love him to the ends of the earth.

Being the granddaughter, niece, cousin, daughter, and girlfriend of a firefighter, gives you a lot of experience with the firefighter world. Although, you’ll never know the true thoughts of a firefighter unless you become one, but supporting the thin red line is important. Firefighting isn’t a glamorous job, it’s not half-naked men in bunker gear standing in front of a burning building, it’s protecting lives and property from destruction in your community. We should all support and appreciate the firefighters in our lives, they do a lot and you never know when you may need them.