SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Amassing more than 116,000 followers and more than two million likes, the Sacramento Fire Department TikTok gives viewers a behind-the-scenes look at the everyday life of a firefighter.
They share videos of themselves cooking, rescuing puppies, and safety tips. Some of their videos have more than 400,000 views.
Wendy Aguilar, a spokesperson for the Sacramento Fire Department, said the goal was to inform the public, but they're seeing another benefit as well.
"It's working. We have young users who are reaching out and saying, 'When I grow up, I want to be a firefighter,'" said Aguilar.
This video of the Sacramento Fire Department Station 17 cooking up some al pastor street tacos has more than 266,000 views.
Capt. Frederick Goerend cooked up some tortas when ABC10 visited to meet the people behind the videos.
"A call can come in any second here and I still haven't eaten yet, [the rest of the crew is] enjoying their food," said Goerend.
He says he's handling the new-found fame well with the support of the rest of his team. When asked if he'd rather film a TikTok or go on a call, here's what he had to say...
"I've never been on camera before and so I would definitely go on a call and serve the people of Sacramento," he said.
Capt. Keith Wade said it's not just about the cute stories of the puppies being rescued, but it's also about safety tips, such as not going into a burning building.
"Our TikTok account has been really wild for us. I wasn't a believer at first, but now I truly am. Tons of people on there following us. It's done great outreach for our department and it's been a great thing," Wade said.
"We are, as a fire department, always on camera and we're aware of that when we go out in the public and are serving. There's always people with their phones out all the time — people are constantly sending us content. My own firefighters here on the department, they're constantly shooting what we're doing that way we're telling our story, letting the community know how they're being served, and it's been great outreach for us," Wade said.
Watch more of the Sacramento Fire Department's Tiktoks HERE.
FOLLOW MARK S. ALLEN:
► Follow Mark on Facebook and Instagram
► See all of Mark's stories
► Watch Mark every weekday morning from 5 - 7 a.m.
Watch more on ABC10: Man who was unhoused 2 years ago is helping others through Sacramento Self-Help Housing
