One single North Texas family has produced three generations of firefighters.
On Sunday afternoon a group gathered outside of Dallas Fire Rescue station 11 in Oak Lawn.
It is the oldest active fire station in the city.
The word ‘dedication’ isn’t just inscribed in the building, the Hyles family lives by it.
“This is my Uncle Ronnie. He was the first of the three brothers that originally got hired,” said Captain Charles Hyles pointing at three older gentlemen standing in front of a fire engine.
Devotion to Dallas Fire Rescue began with three brothers, then grew.
“Their cousin, my second cousin, Brian,” said Hyles. “My brother Jeff, my cousin Scott, his brother Garrick and my nephew, my brother’s son Carson, the third generation.”
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Nine Hyles firefighters in all.
Ten in the family when you count a son-in-law.
And their years of service:
“A little over 220 years of total service to the citizens of Dallas,” said Hyles.
He says it’s a calling.
“It is a passion and it is exciting to come to work,” he said. “Every third day we leave our family behind for 24 hours and we get to spend it with ten guys who are as close to family as these guys.”
Carson Hyles, the youngest member of the firefighting family, recently fought a fire alongside his retiring father.
“To be part of this family and carry on the tradition, it means a lot to me,” he said.
Charles Hyles was recently in the news after he raced to Italy High School after a gunman opened fire, injuring a 15-year-old girl. Hyles was the first firefighter to get to the victim and tended to her injuries.
