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GLENDALE, Ariz. - One can say there's a baby boom at the Glendale Fire Department, with the crew welcoming eight new babies to the team.
Eight.
Recently, the crew got together to capture the moment on camera, before the COVID-19 pandemic happened.
"We're a family and it started to an on me," said Ashley Losch. "We have a few babies, and I just put the idea out to the membership, 'would anybody be interested in doing this?' and I got a lot of people that were interested and that's how the first year happened."
Then, Losch decided to make it a tradition. Every year, she reaches out to firefighters at the nine Glendale fire stations who have babies 18 months old or younger. Lt. Ryan Horrell with Glendale Police would take the photo.
"I think it's really cool, and it has a lot of sentimental value and memories and stuff," said Lt. Horrell. "Knowing where you were at the time, in a fire station, on your parent's jackets as you grow up."
Firefighting may have brought these men and women together, but it's the little ones that will bond the families for life.
"As the kids grow up, we share such a special bond," said Losch. "We're a very tight group of people, and to see those kids grow up together, and to be able to look back and say 'oh wow, we didn't even know this happened, but we had our picture taken at the firehouse when we were tiny kids,' it's very cool."