SUFFOLK, Va. — A Suffolk firefighter is being recognized as an Everyday Hero after grabbing his gear from his garage and helping battle a neighbor's house fire while off duty.
Joshua Baker was at his Chesapeake home when a neighbor came banging on his front door.
"[If] we have somebody banging on the front door, normally it's a medical call or something along those sorts, [but] she said the house was on fire," Baker said.
Baker ran to his garage where he coincidentally had his firefighting gear.
“I had just been shipped out the day before to another station to drive the ladder. Therefore, I had all my gear with me. I was on a 5-day break and I just kind of had it stored in the garage to get it out of the truck, and it was just there. So, it was definitely a lucky thing,” Baker said.
He said when he got to his neighbor’s property everyone was out of the house already.
“I took a [garden] hose and we kind of went inside. We couldn't make it there, so we threw a ladder up and were able to extinguish it from the window on the outside until the engines got there. Then Chesapeake did a fantastic job on their end, and they wrapped everything up," Baker said.
Baker's wife and children were inside his home at the time and watched as he sprung into action and climbed a ladder to fight the fire.
"We didn't know what was going to happen to him and watching him climb up the ladder and get in [the house] was just crazy, but we're glad that he's safe," his daughter said.
Baker said he and others were able to keep the fire contained until Chesapeake firefighters arrived.
"We kind of kept it at bay and then like I said, Chesapeake was able to come in and finally fully extinguish it," Baker said.
When asked whether there is an 'off-switch' for a firefighter, Baker said there isn't one.
"There's no off-switch. You're never really off-duty when you're a firefighter. When you sign up and you take that oath, you know that it's 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. It doesn't matter," Baker said.
His wife, Ashlynn, said watching him respond firsthand was an emotional experience.
"He goes above and beyond whether he's here at the station or in the community, but to see the action firsthand in our neighborhood was overwhelming, exciting, [and] scary, but also just -- there was not a hesitation in reaction. He will go above-and-beyond to help anybody, so [we’re] just really proud of him," she said.
Southern Bank gifted Baker $425 — $125 more than usual to celebrate the bank's 125 years in the community.
Baker said the recognition was not necessary, but he appreciated it.
"This isn't needed, but I do appreciate it. I mean, I think anybody that's standing in this room right now would have done 100% the same thing, 100% the same thing," Baker said.
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