MACON, Ga. — Sometimes kids follow in their parents' footsteps, like taking over a business, but one family has kept a tradition and brotherhood alive for three generations.
If you ever need help, one of the Wilson brothers may just show up at your door.
William Edwin Wilson Jr., who goes by Ed, served 35 years with the Macon-Bibb Fire Department, achieving the rank of Lieutenant.
He doesn't like to talk much, but old pictures bring out the emotions. Ed spent his childhood days down at the fire department where his dad, William Wilson Sr., served as a district chief. He retired in 1980.
William Wilson Sr. and Jr. aren't the only Williams in this fire-fighting family.
"We've got William Dustin, William Zebulon, and William Luke. I'm just proud of that name, I don't know," said Ed.
Ed's kids also spent their days at the fire department. Now, Luke is a trainee with the Macon-Bibb Fire Department, Zebulon is a couple of years into his career, and Dusty is a sergeant.
They go by their middle names since they're all named William, which is a family moniker, but it also means "protector."
“I've been to fires with Zeb already. We got to fight fire, we've had several, and he's got to come here and work with me and ride in the same truck with me and I look forward to doing it with Luke. It’s going to be awesome, you know? Teach them what I can,” said Dustin.
Dustin was already on board as a firefighter working in another county, but his brothers may have taken a different career route if it weren't for one heartbreaking day -- his grandfather's funeral.
"They carried his casket in the old Mack truck and I saw what all of those guys did for my grandad even though it had been 30 or more years since he had retired," he said.
"Really it was talking to him because I was doing heating and air and I decided I didn't want to do that the rest of my life," said Zebulon.
Many times when firefighters get on the truck, they're risking their lives, so to have a family member on board is an extra layer of comfort.
"I don't think that's something many people can experience and for me that was one of the best experiences in my life so far," said Luke.
"It was different being on the truck with him rather than someone else I'm not related to, but it was fun," said Zebulon.
It's three generations of tradition, answering the call in emergencies and carrying the legacy of past generations forward.
"I want them to say at the end of their career that 'I felt like I fulfilled my calling,'" said Ed.
Dustin has a little boy named Kicks who is very interested in following in his dad's footsteps.
13WMAZ spoke with interim Macon-Bibb Fire Chief Shane Edwards and he says they are about 91 firefighters short right now.
Edwards says Macon Mayor Lester Miller asked him to look at the nepotism policy, which means a person can't be hired if another person is in a management position, so that is in review.
As for the numbers, Edwards says they've got a class of 30 firefighters graduating in December, which includes Luke. They will get another class up and going quickly of another 30 people that want to join.
Three generations of firefighters keeping tradition alive
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