The first day of school often brings a mix of emotions, including excitement and a bit of anxiety. For the Peterson family, this day was no different, though it was bittersweet.
"Guys we're letting you walk to class with her," Principal Elizabeth Hostin told a crowd of waiting Lancaster Fire Department firefighters and engineers. Then, the fire engine pulled in front of Boren Elementary School in Mansfield around 7:15 a.m., horn blaring. "Good morning!"
The back door opened and Kayla Peterson climbed out with her older sister Avery, and mom, Allison.
"You ready to go?" Lancaster Fire Department Battalion Chief Cole Turner whispered to Kayla as he took her hand. "Yeah," she answered quietly.
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Kayla's dad, Lancaster Firefighter Brandon Peterson, passed away in 2020 from cancer in the line of duty.
"Before Brandon passed away, we told him we've got your girls. So no matter what that is, we've always got 'em," Turner said.
On Wednesday, that meant firefighters picked Kayla up and escorted her to her first day of kindergarten, just like they did for her older sister.
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"We're dads and every little girl should have their Daddy," Turner said. "They don't, but we're gonna fill in every hole we can."
"He loved those girls so much that he would be so thankful that all of these people have come out," Kayla's mom Allison Peterson said. "We try to really appreciate these moments because I know not everyone gets to experience firefighters dropping them off to school in a fire truck."
Kayla went into her classroom with firefighters and her mom to get ready for her first day.
"Your Daddy's picture is in your locker, ok," Peterson whispered to her daughter. "I just want her to hold onto those memories and know that he loves her."
"She still has her dad in her heart," Hostin said. "But to have those men be his physical presence in her life is amazing."
"We're a family. He was family," Lancaster Fire Department Engineer Brett Cook said. "He would be happy to see this."
