ROANOKE, Va. – A firefighting father-son duo has had a busy summer in Roanoke.
Rob and Brandon Bolton continue a longstanding tradition of family members who serve the Roanoke Fire-EMS department.
Lieutenant Rob Bolton has been fighting fires in Roanoke for more than 20 years, so when it came time for his son Brandon to pick a career, the choice was clear.
“Me, my mom and my sister would always go up to visit him at the fire house and see how the guys interacted and get to see everybody getting together and hanging out. It was like another family,” said Brandon Bolton.
When Roanoke Fire-EMS got a call to an apartment fire on Westside Boulevard on July 21 , the Boltons were in for a surprise.
“I remember I walked around the truck and saw him and I just couldn’t help but start smiling,” Brandon Bolton said.
It was the very first fire the father-son pair got to fight together.
“Going to a fire scene and you walk around the building, and look up and see Brandon getting off the other fire truck at the fire scene, kind of makes you proud,” Lieutenant Rob Bolton said.
Brandon jokes that having his father around has kept him on his toes and helped build a bond that goes far beyond the call.