Public Safety Continues Work on Labor Day

While Labor Day can mean a day off from the daily grind, for those who work in emergency response, it’s just another day of working to keep the community safe.

The Zanesville Fire Department is at the station today and Lieutenant Jim Prang said the crew on call isn’t upset to spend the day at work.

“This holiday really for us is not really different from any other day,” said Prang. “We knew that when we signed up we’d be asked to make additional sacrifices and sometimes miss the family cookouts and the kids’ birthdays and things like that but our extended family due to the nature of being here for 24 hours at a time, we develop a bond with the other guys that we work with and they become our family so we try to be as quote on quote normal as possible being prepared for any type of emergency.”

It’s the perfect day for a barbecue and the Fire Department encourages everyone to enjoy their Labor Day cookouts but they hope to see the community being safe on the grill.

“On Labor Day typically on bigger holidays where people are off work they tend to have larger groups where they have cookouts,”said Prang. “There’s always additional dangers from grilling out or cooking out. Sometimes people tend to party a little bit more than normal. We just ask that they use common sense. Just be safe. Have fun with your family but just be aware that sometimes there are circumstances or activities that you do that can cause additional danger so just be aware of that.”

It’s not all work today, the department does get to take the day off from some of the extensive chores around the station and Olive Garden is providing them with lunch. Prang said it makes them feel appreciated on days like Labor Day.