Passing the torch

Nineteen-year-old Logan Mirly plants his work boots shoulder-width apart and puts his hands in his pockets, just like his father.

Whether intended or unconscious, he's inherited some of his father's mannerisms, and although master firefighter Steve Mirly's bespectacled gaze is a bit harder, a bit more weathered, both Mirlys have the same gray-blue eyes and lean in when they talk.

Father and son have been together in the firehouse since Logan was a boy, so it's no surprise he's picked up a few of his father's traits, but Logan's no longer just tumbling around the station -- now he's a firefighter, too.

Logan is the youngest firefighter in the Cape Girardeau Fire Department, but not the only one whose family has had multiple generations represented over the years.

Fighting fires has been the Crump family's profession since Les Crump began as a firefighter in Chaffee, Missouri, soon after the birth of his son, Billy. "It's 47 years ago," Billy said. "Because I'm 51 now, I'll be 52 in two months. ... He was volunteer chief.

From left, Billy Crump, his father, Charlie Crump, and son, Noah Crump, pose for a photo at the Cape Girardeau Fire Department Station 1. (Laura Simon)

"And he'd go down to the fire station and play around," Les finished. "That scar on his chin? Crawled up on the running board. When he was getting off, he slipped and caught his chin, he was that small."

Les said he was proud when his son told him he wanted to be a firefighter as well.

"I always felt it was a service to the community," he said. "And I enjoyed it so much, I was glad he wanted to assist me with it."

So Billy joined the department in October 1979, when he was only 16.

"Now you have to be 18," he said, with a slight air of mischief. "But they didn't watch us as close back then. But I was the same way. For as long as I can remember, that's what I always wanted to do."

And soon enough, Billy's own son, Noah, was running around the station while his father worked. Although he couldn't join outright like his father, Noah joined the department's cadet program at 16.

"It's a lot of the same things as my grandpa said," explained Noah, now 22. "I like the service."

But it's an inherently dangerous job, despite advances in technology.

"When we go in houses together, we work toward a level of safety and efficiency," Noah said.

It's a situation that doesn't allow for emotion-based decision making.

"You can't think about that when you're inside," he said. "You have to keep your mind straight."

Even though Billy's duties are mostly concerned with the department's administration, having his son on staff also adds a personal dimension to any policy-making.

"If I think he needs to be doing something differently, then that tells me that I need to review that policy," he said.

His tone is the same as the one his father uses when he talks about safety -- and Steve Mirly uses it, too. It's filled with a sense of trust in protocol, but just beneath the surface is a sense of pride in their sons' training and abilities.

"Knowing how he was trained at a younger age, you kind of just have to respect that and trust him," Mirly said, punctuated with a knowing nod at Logan.

Asked what's the most useful piece of advice he's received from his father, Logan cracked a grin.

"Always wear your helmet," he said.

There's obviously a story behind it.

"We were on a training exercise in Cape," Steve explained. "Somebody had an ax and it fell and hit me in the head. Dented the ax, as they like to say."

And of course, the men admit their mothers worry about them more than they probably ought. When Billy worked in Scott City, his mother forced him into upgrading equipment for safety.

"She bought them for me and said, 'You're gonna do this,'" Billy recalled. "I was the first one in Scott City to have those."

But Steve Mirly said the best part about working with his son has been helping him grow as a person.

"His dedication is amazing. Him being young and teenagers being what they are, you just don't see that out in the world," he said.

As for the next generation, Logan said it's an honor to keep the tradition alive.

Nineteen-year-old Logan Mirly poses for a photo with his father, Steve, at the Cape Girardeau Fire Department Station 1. (Laura Simon)

Nineteen-year-old Logan Mirly poses for a photo with his father, Steve, at the Cape Girardeau Fire Department Station 1. (Laura Simon)

Nineteen-year-old Logan Mirly poses for a photo with his father, Steve, at the Cape Girardeau Fire Department Station 1. (Laura Simon)

From left, Billy Crump, his father, Charlie Crump, and son, Noah Crump, pose for a photo at the Cape Girardeau Fire Department Station 1. (Laura Simon)

"There's a lot more pride and honor that comes from being in the same department," he said.

From left, Billy Crump, his father, Charlie Crump, and son, Noah Crump, pose for a photo at the Cape Girardeau Fire Department Station 1. (Laura Simon)