Brothers proud to be part of fire service, Celina Record

Kincaid brothers proud to be part of Celina Fire Department Lisa Ferguson, lferguson@starlocalmedia.com Apr 28, 2016 0 It is said that the fire service is a brotherhood. That is especially true at Celina Fire Station No. 1, where Chris and Carl Kincaid work as paramedics. The 24-year-old brothers are two-thirds of a set of fraternal triplets who, along with their brother Cody, graduated from Celina High School in 2010. Back then it seemed everyone in town knew of the Kincaid brothers. The boys played side by side on several of the school’s sports teams. (Another brother, Darren, is two years older than the triplets.) “You always have a sidekick,” Chris said. “In our case, we always had two sidekicks … and then a third one a majority of the time.” Chris said he and Carl are often recognized while responding to emergency calls and tending to business throughout the city. “I think it’s a blessing to serve the people that served us,” he said. The Kincaid family moved from Sanger to Celina in 2002 when the triplets were in fifth grade. Their father, Roger Kincaid, was a football, track and powerlifting coach at Celina High School. The boys’ mother, Kim Kincaid, is assistant principal at Celina Middle School. A few years before the family relocated, a large fire occurred in Sanger’s downtown area. Carl said the event cemented his and Chris’ desire to go into the fire service. “We stayed on the side of the street and we just saw these huge flames,” he said, recalling how fire departments from neighboring cities helped fight the blaze. “That’s when we knew we wanted to help people and serve a community.” After graduating from high school, both men attended emergency medical technician school at Collin College in McKinney. Carl went on to study at the Fire Academy, and Chris joined the Paramedic Training program. In 2011, they began working as volunteer firefighters for the city of Celina. Upon graduating from their respective programs, the brothers flip-flopped: Carl began attending paramedic school, while Chris made the switch to fire training. Following graduation in 2012, Carl landed a paid position with the Dallas Fire Department. Chris took a job with the University Park Fire Department the following year. However, “I think we both kind of knew in the back of our minds while we were performing our duties at our other departments that [Celina] is where we wanted to be,” Carl said. “This is where we grew up and the brotherhood within this organization and this fire service, the people is what kind of drew us back.” Carl returned to the Celina Fire Department as a paid firefighter in 2014. Chris followed last year and will conclude his probationary period with the department in October. “It’s a very close department and we all work seamlessly together,” Chris said, “but we are fortunate and lucky enough to be blood brothers, and it is an opportunity that not everyone gets.” Department policies preclude the Kincaids from being assigned to the same regular shift, although they do occasionally work together. “It’s kind of a cool experience,” Carl said. “In certain situations we know the other one’s next step, his next move,” Chris said. It’s a good thing they work well separately. Just ask their mother, who recently watched Carl in action when the Celina Fire Department responded to an emergency at the middle school. “Watching him doing all of the paramedic stuff, it just made me proud,” she said. “That’s not something you have an experience of if your kid works somewhere else. … He did a great job that day.” Celina Fire Chief Mark Metdker said, “For these guys to be … raised here and to have gone to school here, it kind of gives [the department] even more of that hometown feel when you have hometown boys working here and wearing this uniform. It’s great for the citizens; it’s great for the community.” The brothers, who both tied the knot last year with their respective fiancés, no longer live in Celina. Chris calls Tioga home, while Carl resides in Van Alstyne. Nevertheless, Chris said they plan to remain with the Celina Fire Department. “I know when we both go on calls and see the people that have looked out for us all our lives, and now we get the opportunity to give that back to them, it means a lot more than just serving somebody. It’s a different type of feeling. It’s a blessing,” he said. Public service is a priority for the triplets: Cody will graduate from University of North Texas later this year with a degree in criminal justice and may pursue a career in law enforcement. Chris and Carl said they hope Cody will eventually become a police officer in Celina. “That’s a wish of ours,” Chris said, “so that all three of us can help protect the city that protected us as we grew up.”