CHICORA - If you are a firefighter in the Chicora Volunteer Fire Department, chances are good you were recruited by Robert "Sparky" Craig.

And while the deceased firefighter's son, John "Chester" Craig of Chicora, doesn't remember exactly how volunteers got recruited, many other members of the department do.

Member Jim Erb of Chicora said, "I was standing by the road when he (Sparky) said 'You going to get in the truck or just stand there?'"

While Erb had planned on joining the department at the time, he wasn't planning on jumping in on that fire call, he said.

Sparky Craig, who died 12 years ago, was fire chief for several years and was active in the department until the day he died, according to his son. His legacy lives on in John, his three brothers, Dennis, Ed and Fred Craig, and the other 13 active Craigs in the department today.

His way of treating everyone as if they would become a firefighter was contagious to other families as well. Trent Callihan credits Sparky for getting him involved. Now the Callihans are second only to the Craigs in numbers of active firefighters at the department. There are seven Callihans.

"I just like going to help," said Callihan. "It gets to the point where it just gets in you. You try to walk away but you can't."

And Abby, Trent's 13-month-old daughter, is a "chief in training," according to her dad.

Keeping young people involved in the department is important at Chicora, said John Craig. In fact, according to Callihan, the extra room at the fire hall often resembles "Romper Room."

Both men stressed the importance of firefighters' wives, both as active members as well as crucial support in the auxiliary.

"You have a family at home and a family here beyond that," Craig said of the fire hall. "There's a lot of work done by a lot of people in the non-firefighting aspect."Most fire departments are all about family, and most have several members of one family involved, he said."It's something they always wanted to do. It's what their father did or what their grandfather did," he added.For Craig, joining the department 40 years ago was a natural progression into adulthood. He officially joined the department at 18. Before that, however, he'd chase the fire trucks at 14 or 15 years old and help with grass fires and such, he said."I guess I just wanted to do something community-minded," he said. "It is a thankless job."Craig took the calling a step further and fought fires in his career as well, working in the fire brigade at the AK Steel plant in Butler Township.Thinking back further, he remembers hearing the fire whistle in the middle of the night and watching him rush out. His mother would stand in the hall and help his father dress by handing him the rubber boots and then the protective rubber coat, he said.He also remembers the important lectures that followed many of his dad's trips."He'd come home and say some little boy was playing with matches … don't do that," said Craig.John Craig also served as chief for nine years. The biggest fire he remembers fighting was in 1966 when the main drug store in Chicora burned down.The toughest times Craig remembers include passing a hat to collect money for fuel to run the fire truck.Other Craigs active in the department, all cousins of John, include Richard Craig Sr. and his son, Richard Craig Jr., Charles Craig Sr. and his son, Charles Craig Jr., Dan Craig and his sons, Mike and Brad, Scott Craig and his son, Cody, a junior firefighter, Eugene Craig and his son, Darin, and Daryl Craig and his son Travis, a junior firefighter.The Craigs were among the founding members of the department in 1934 and remain one of the largest families involved in fire departments in the county today.