WASHINGTON 鈥� Megan and John Horrell鈥檚 first encounter wasn鈥檛 pulled from a Hollywood script. There was no meet-cute in a coffee shop, no run in at the park.
The two first responders crossed paths in 2005 at Shady Grove Medical Center in Rockville, Maryland, while dropping off patients in need of emergency care. Some casual conversing and a few more chance encounters on the job led to a study session: John was a paramedic and Megan was training to be one.
鈥淎nd then the studies just became a little bit more,鈥� said John, who is now a lieutenant at Montgomery County Fire Station 32.
鈥淎 little bit more鈥� meaning 10 years of marriage and three kids 鈥� plus careers as firefighters with Montgomery County Fire and Rescue. And where they work, that love story isn鈥檛 a unique one.
Pete Piringer, spokesman for Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service, estimates the department has a dozen, maybe more, married couples.
Something in the hydrant, perhaps?
鈥淚 guess it鈥檚 a whole 鈥榖irds of the feather flock together鈥� type of thing,鈥� said Susan Cleveland, who met her husband, Tommy, while working as a volunteer firefighter at Sandy Spring Station 40 in Olney, Maryland, in 1991.
On Feb. 6, the couple, now career firefighters at different stations, celebrated their 26th wedding anniversary.
鈥淵ou tend to be attracted to people that are similar to you,鈥� Susan added.
Being in the same line of work 鈥� particularly one that involves responding to dangerous, often traumatic, situations 鈥� can help when it comes to unpacking or explaining an especially stressful day at the office.
鈥淚t鈥檚 nice to have somebody who we can talk to about what we do, who understands what we deal with every day,鈥� Megan said.
鈥淚t鈥檚 easier to lean on each other for support,鈥� John added.
Michele Ruth, a master firefighter and paramedic in Montgomery County, said the firehouse鈥檚 family-like environment helps to foster close relationships. At many stations, the staff on duty cooks and eats dinner together. Downtime in the evening is spent congregating in the living room around a TV or over a board game. The staff even sleeps together 鈥� to be clear, in separate, individual bunks.
鈥淲e spend 24 hours at the firehouse. It鈥檚 our other home, and so we connect with a lot of people that we work with as far as making lots of friendships and lifelong friendships,鈥� said Michele, who married her husband, William, also a master firefighter, in 1998.
The two were at different stations, but worked the same shift and often ran calls together.
鈥淚t just so happens that this one grew more than just a friendship. We found we had a lot of good things in common, and we enjoyed each other鈥檚 company,” she added.
Marrying another firefighter isn鈥檛 always the stuff of fairy tales. For starters, the schedules are tough. Shifts are often 24 hours, and with kids at home, there鈥檚 not always time to catch up on sleep, laundry and the logistics of life.
Making time for each other can be even more of a challenge.
Then, there鈥檚 the whole danger side of it. The聽Horrells have their phones set to receive alerts when the one on duty is called out to a fire.
鈥淭here鈥檚 that other side of me that鈥檚 still a wife, who does still worry, because I do know the dangers; I do know what can happen on a call,鈥� Megan said.
鈥淓ven as a firefighter, being a wife, I think, makes it a little bit tougher some days, knowing what he鈥檚 out there doing.鈥�
For John, the worry is less on the physical dangers associated with the job, and more on the emotional pain that comes with it.
鈥淲e have a lot of people to support us, so the danger of the job, I don鈥檛 want to overshadow it, but that doesn鈥檛 bother me as much as getting mentally wrecked from something that we have to do or see,鈥� he said.
鈥淭he mental side of it is pretty traumatic sometimes for people, and I know how [Megan] handles things, so that鈥檚 the side that worries me about calls.鈥�
Even still, the Horrells say there鈥檚 a lot to love about being a firefighter 鈥� and finding friends that turn into family is one of the best parts.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 think you join this department or this job to find a spouse, and the fact that it happens 鈥� and it happens quite often 鈥� says something about the kind of people that are here,鈥� John said.
鈥淒itto,鈥� said Megan.
