North Carolina Firefighters Carry on Family Tradition

DURHAM – When Willie Hall Jr. was a boy, he loved to spend weekends sleeping over at the Durham fire station where his father worked.

He’d eat meals with the other firefighters, watch television and see them slide down the fire pole, hop on the truck and head off to fight fires.

Fast forward, and today Hall is an assistant Durham Fire Department chief, following in the footsteps of his father, Willie Hall Sr., who joined the department in 1961 and retired in 1989.

The young Hall may not have realized it at the time, but those sleepovers were setting the stage for what most firefighters know: Being in the fire service is a family affair.

The department has more than a dozen blood relatives, although in a larger sense, they all consider themselves brothers (and sisters).

But what sets the Hall family apart is their special story of service to Durham, which began in 1919. Willie Hall Jr.’s great-grandfather, Willie E. Hall, was a Durham County sheriff’s deputy who was killed in the line of duty in 1929 after 10 years on the force. In 1939, Hall’s great-uncle, Onus T. Hall, also a Durham sheriff’s deputy, was similarly killed in the line of duty.

Both men are remembered each year during a memorial service that honors Durham law enforcement officers who died while serving others.

“There’s been a long history of Halls serving the citizens of Durham,” Willie Hall Jr. said.

His father, now 79, said it was a proud day when his son decided to join the Durham fire service.

“I think he saw the same thing that I did: It gives you a chance to help people,” the elder Hall said.

Hall Jr. joined the department in 1987 and rose through the ranks. He’s now assistant chief of operations, supervising personnel who respond to emergencies.

His days usually begin at 5:30 a.m. and end 12 hours later. He loves the job.

“My father was more of an indirect influence on me to join the department,” Hall said. “He never tried to steer me in that direction, but allowed me to make my career choice myself. But I was able to see what the job and profession had provided for me as a child and my family.”

Hall found his calling.

“I can’t think of anything else I’d rather do,” he said. “It has satisfied everything I thought it would. A lot of things I wanted to do in life as a kid have been tied into this job. I like working with people and helping them. And that has always been part of this profession.”

As a child, Hall said, he had the image of firefighter as a hero. But it wasn’t until the devastation of 9/11 and the loss of so many firefighters that the image of firefighter took on a deeper meaning.

“The events of 9/11 brought the fire service into the minds of more people than it had before,” he said. “It was more of a prestigious profession after then.”

That well-known bond among firefighters is as strong as ever, Hall said, and is present wherever they travel.

“You can leave North Carolina and stop in a fire station in another state, and all you have to do is tell them you’re a firefighter, and you’re welcome with open arms,” Hall said.

Hall said a firefighter sees a racing fire truck with different eyes.

“A child can see a fire truck going down the road with lights and siren, and he gets excited,” Hall said. “But a seasoned firefighter sees the same thing and wonders about the job his fellow brother or sister is headed to, and prays for their safe return.”

Hall’s father agreed.

“It’s not the thrill of it that matters,” Hall Sr. said. “Riding the fire truck gets your adrenaline up, but the main thing is the result at the end.”

“It’s a huge challenge, and it’s dangerous,” he said. “But it makes you feel good when you help somebody. I would do it again.”