There’s one member of his department that Bow Fire Chief Dana Abbott may know better than other members.

Abbott has been in the department since 1971 and for the past 13 years has been working in the same fire house with his son, Justin, who continued the family tradition by becoming a firefighter.

“I think it was when he was young that he realized it was what he wanted to do. All boys like fire trucks, sirens, lights and the excitement,” said Dana. “I was quite pleased when he told me he wanted to do it.”

Since he was a child, Justin said he has spent time at the fire house, soaking in the lessons of the trade before he began studying at Laconia Community Technical College.

“It became almost second nature to me,” said Justin. “I always grew up with it since my dad’s always done it. It’s always been in the family. My grandfather did it, too, so I grew up at the fire station.”

There aren’t any specific calls that stand out from when he was a kid, but there were some memorable times.

“It was just always really neat to be able to ride in all of the different trucks, when the town got new ones and things like that,” said Justin. “I definitely remember riding along in the trucks during the town parades, too.”

Today, as a firefighter, the calls Justin recalls are often the most difficult ones.

“I think the floods were the most memorable for me and everyone who worked them,” said Justin. “We worked hard and really stuck together as a team. We had to work some very long hours and long days, but it was really rewarding.”

Fire Department business doesn’t stay in the fire house, as father and son often talk fires at home as well.

“He’s followed along and I bring a lot of stuff home. We talk to the family about stuff. He’s picked up on how we’ve done different operations,” said Dana. “He’s very dedicated also, and he really enjoys it.”

Justin said he’s glad to have the opportunity to share the experiences with his father.

“It’s been great. It’s a great family thing to do together,” he said. “I really enjoy helping out the community, and helping people.”

Seeing his son in action is something that Dana Abbott takes great pride in.

“I’m proud of what he does. said Dana. “I’d like to see him (be a full-time firefighter) because he’s good at what he does, and it’d be the next step to follow along. I’d like to see him get to that point. I could certainly see him as an officer here or in another department.”

In the future, Justin hopes to become a full-time firefighter and has taken the EMT class, which he’ll take the required test soon.

Although Dana has a different role than his son, Justin said it’s still exciting working with his father.

“When I started we used to go to calls all the time, but he was always more of the supervisor as compared to myself going in. There’s a different end of it,” said Justin.