Grant Kline is a lieutenant with Homewood Fire Department. In this interview, he shares how his father inspired him to become a firefighter and talks about his love of Christmas.
Q: Tell us about your role with the fire department.
A: My name is Grant Klein. I'm a company officer with Homewood Fire Department, currently stationed out of Station No. 2, on Engine Two and currently assigned to B shift. I've been here for four years in this position, and we cover the Edgewood community and most of the middle section of Homewood and the I-65 corridor through Green Springs, Lake Shore and Valley Avenue.
Q: How long have you been a firefighter?
A: I have been a firefighter for 16 years and worked for the city of Homewood since 2008.
Q: What made you want to be a firefighter?
A: So, I'm a second-generation firefighter. My father retired from Pelham Fire Department and spent 34 years working there, and I got to see, growing up, how much he enjoyed his job and how much he loved it. And then, obviously, being around a fire station as a kid, it just made me want to grow up and follow in his footsteps knowing that I felt like it was truly something that I would just fall in love with. And, I did.
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Photo courtesy of Grant Kline
Grant Kline (right) with other member of Homewood Fire Department.
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Photo courtesy of Grant Kline
Grant Kline (center) with other members of the Homewood Fire Department.
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Photo courtesy of Grant Kline
Grant Kline with his family.
Q: What is your favorite part of the job?
A: So, my favorite thing about the job is getting to come in daily and train on different aspects or disciplines within the job. Obviously, we're into fire suppression, but we also run EMS calls, technical rescues. So, you get to utilize a bunch of different skills and equipment and it's always fun to come in daily and train on different disciplines within our line of work. And, here, we have some of the best equipment that you could possibly ask for.
Q: Tell us something people might be surprised to learn about you.
A: So, something that people might be surprised to learn about me is that I love Christmas movies and the holidays. I lost my mother right before I got hired here, and now that I'm a parent, I love watching Christmas movies and the holidays with my children. It reminds me of my mom and takes me back and it's just something that we do as a family. And, I've seen "Christmas Vacation" enough that I can almost quote the movie from beginning to end.
