BYRON TWP, Mich. — While most Byron Center neighbors enjoyed Christmas Day with family and friends, firefighter Izzy England spent the holiday at Byron Township Fire Station 1, ready to respond to emergencies in the community she grew up in.
England, who has served as a firefighter in Byron Township for four years, worked a 48-hour shift that began Christmas Eve and extends through Thursday morning.
She's part of a two-person crew stationed at the firehouse, ensuring the community has emergency response coverage even on holidays.
"Emergencies aren't scheduled, so we are here for whoever needs us," England said. "We hope we don't have to see people on Christmas, obviously, but somebody needs to be here to be ready."
The sacrifice means missing traditional Christmas celebrations with her family, but England said they adapted by celebrating before her shift began and planning to gather for dinner after she gets off work Thursday.
"We celebrated before I came in on shift, and we'll celebrate with my parents and have dinner tomorrow," England said.
Growing up in the Byron Center area, England said serving her hometown community holds special meaning for her.
"I grew up in and around the area, so it's been really cool to serve a community that I grew up in," England said. "I really like our community here. We're very community based."
The holiday sacrifice isn't new to England, who comes from a first responder family. Her father worked as a police officer, preparing her for the reality that emergency services don't pause for holidays.
"I came from a first responder family, so my dad was a police officer, so we're kind of accustomed to sometimes holidays aren't always on the day that they are assigned on the calendar," England said.
Despite missing traditional holiday celebrations, England views her Christmas Day service as an honor.
"It's really important that we have people available here for any type of emergency that we might be called to," England said. "I truly think it's an honor to be able to serve, especially days like this."
England said the responsibility of being there for people during their most difficult moments drives her commitment to the job.
"People often call us on their worst day," England said. "For us to be the people that are able to be trained and show up on those days, it's just a cool experience for us."
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