The firefighters at Fire Station No. 6, 912 Cherry St., enjoy cooking and eating together, especially on the holidays.

Shift B is working its 7 a.m. to 7a.m. 24-hour shift on Thanksgiving this year, and they plan to arrange a meal at the station.

“Since we’ve got to eat, somebody needs to cook, and I trust nobody more than me,” Capt. Vernon Wolfe said with a laugh.

Wolfe of shift B takes over the top cooking duties. He has been cooking his whole life. Growing up in a big family, his mother taught each child how to cook.

“I like to cook,” Wolfe said. “Always have. I grew up with it.”

He enjoys having everyone participate in the meal preparation process and said even those who don’t cook contribute by bringing in a dish cooked by a family member or bought at the store.

“We usually put on a good spread for the holidays,” Wolfe said. “We usually do more of the traditional.”

Turkey, dressing, sweet potato casserole, macaroni and cheese and “the whole nine-yards” are on the menu at the station. Sometimes they will even add in venison because many of the firefighters are also deer hunters.

He said the guys are always cooking and not just for holidays. The biggest difference between the holiday meals and their daily meals is the desserts, and he looks forward to partaking in the sweets during this time of year.

“We try to eat halfway healthy most of the time, and that goes out the window on the holidays,” Wolfe said.

As for recipes, Wolfe doesn’t have any. He cooks from sight and taste, just like his mom. The first time he made biscuits, he examined them and decided, “That looks like what my momma had.”

“I’m not much on measuring,” Wolfe said. “I look, I see and I taste until it’s right.”

Sometimes, from year to year, the fire stations get together for a meal while they are all still listening for calls that could disrupt the get-together.

“I wouldn’t want to be doing anything else I don’t think,” Wolfe said.