EDMOND, Okla. (KFOR) – He’s a firefighter and a family man, but Brandon Thornbrue has an extra responsibility that makes him special to the Edmond Fire Department.

Thornbrue has been a firefighter for 18 years.

In fact, his grandfather was Edmond’s fire chief twice; in the 1960s and 1970s.

“I guess the thing that I love most about being the firefighter is just the opportunity to, to go out and serve and help people, you know, no matter what we’re doing at any given time of day,” he said.

In addition to being a firefighter, Thornbrue is also the department’s chaplain.

“I try on any major call or incident, a hard call, I try to contact each of the stations and the guys and go over with them and just let them know if there’s anything they need, to talk. And I encourage them to talk among themselves and just kind of be able to work through that,” he said.

In a sense, he’s a spiritual first responder to offer some comfort after a stressful situation.

“A lot of times on particular calls, you want that follow up and you want to just let people know that you’re still thinking about them and some of the avenues that they may have to try to get some additional help.  And so it’s very, very important to us,” he said.

Thornbrue is a family man and a father to four children.

“Just to show his servant heart. In the wintertime, he always keeps a chain. And in case we’re going somewhere and someone is stuck, he’ll pull them out. He’s always ready to help somebody else,” said Krystal Thornbrue, Brandon’s wife.

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‘Proud to Serve’ is sponsored by Quail Creek Bank.