ARDMORE, OK -- Firefighters and other first responders give up their holidays to make sure ours are safe. Austin Wright spoke to some of them today and brings us their stories.

While many of us enjoyed the chance to sleep in on this New Year's morning, there are others who celebrated the New Year bright and early by heading into the office for another day on the job.

Ardmore firefighter Brian McDaniel is used to working on holidays--he's been doing it for over twenty years now.

"I don't really have a good count but it's been a lot of major holidays we've had to give up, that someone always has to be here," McDaniel said.

He'll tell you he's glad the phone didn't ring much Thursday night--in fact it was a rare, nearly emergency-free New Year's Eve.

Ardmore firefighters responded to only one minor accident call Thursday night.

McDaniel and his crew are taking advantage of the quiet day to shine up the city's fire truck. He says being able to report for work while everybody else is enjoying the holidays is something you just get used to.

"You kind of get bummed out that you missed fourth of July or Christmas or New Years Eve," McDaniel said, "But our families all adapt and we kind of will make it work on another day either previous or right after the holiday."

And over at the police station Ardmore Officer Matt Bell is no stranger to patrolling the streets while most of the city enjoys an early weekend.

But he is also enjoying this unusually quiet New Year's holiday.
Authorities say most of the arrests on New Year's are DWI's. But Ardmore officers say in Ardmore and surrounding cities there were only eighteen arrests made to start 2010.

And while Bell knows working holidays is part of the deal, he knows what he's doing is keeping people safe on their holidays.

"With the police department I've been on a year and a half here in Ardmore and I think I've given up all but one or two of them," Bell said.

Whether it's Christmas, New Years, or any other holiday you can plan on public servants like Matt and Brian, across Texoma, being there when you need them.

Like Ardmore, Sherman police tell us this New Year's Eve was quieter than usual.

Officers say there were about two accidents in the city Thursday night, but no one was injured, and no DWI's were reported.

They do say DPS worked one accident but it was not serious.