JANESVILLE, Wis. — Inside one southern Wisconsin fire department, a quiet legacy burns brighter than the flames they fight.

And this Father’s Day, that legacy grows even stronger.

On Monday morning, the day after Father’s Day, Evan Lloyd will officially suit up as a third-generation Janesville firefighter-paramedic, becoming the fourth member of his family to answer the call.

“Yes, great Father’s Day gift for my dad,” Evan Lloyd said with a grin, strapping on his helmet under the proud gaze of his father and grandfather.

His father, retired lieutenant Chris Lloyd, said he couldn’t be prouder.

“My youngest son — since he was 8, he wanted to either play for the Packers or be a firefighter,” Chris Lloyd said. “My youngest son — since he was 8, he wanted to either play for the Packers or be a firefighter,” Chris Lloyd said. “So I told him, just go to school because you’ll be a firefighter.”

And sure enough, Evan Lloyd did. He now joins his sister McKayla Lloyd — who is also a firefighter-paramedic in Janesville — in following in the footsteps of their father and grandfather, retired battalion chief Gary Lloyd.

“This is all so new for me still,” Evan Lloyd admitted. “So they have a lot of good advice for me.”

At the firehouse, McKayla Lloyd helped show their grandfather how far the tools and technology have come.

“These will protect you from the heat and debris,” she explained, demonstrating some of the upgraded safety gear.

Air tanks are one example. When Gary Lloyd was on the job, using oxygen wasn’t required; canisters were considered optional and certainly not easy to reach.

“It was always strapped on top of the trucks,” Gary Lloyd said.

Today, that’s no longer the case. Every firefighter is expected to use one. Evan Lloyd demonstrated how tanks are now integrated into the seats, ready at a moment’s notice.

“When we arrive on scene, we just do this,” Evan Lloyd said, pulling the tank out with ease.

“Wow,” Gary Lloyd said as he watched in awe.

“Step right out,” said Evan Lloyd as he took a big step out of the truck.

“That’s a lot better than it used to be,” Gary Lloyd said.

Gary Lloyd also recalled another big shift: when Janesville banned smoking cigarettes in the department.

“That was a huge change because you were being an example for the rest of the firefighters,” he said. “Hey, our lungs are important and they’re impaired if we go into a fire without protecting ourselves.”

McKayla Lloyd said she’s especially grateful for the new tech designed to protect firefighters, such as the thermal imaging cameras now included on every rig. She demonstrated one by scanning her grandfather’s body temperature.

“This is in degrees, so 300,” she explained. “So, obviously, he is below that level.”

She also reflected on how house fires have changed.

“You had a lot of time to get out of your house safely when my grandpa started,” she said. “Because it was heavy timbers or, you know, whatever it may be, that would burn a lot longer. And now everything’s plastic and takes seconds or minutes to burn.”

As Evan Lloyd stood suited up for the first time in full gear — surrounded by the wisdom of his father, sister and grandfather — he said the weight of legacy, pride and progress became unmistakably real.

“Just heartwarming to see him in his gear for the first time,” Gary Lloyd said.

It was a moment McKayla Lloyd didn’t take for granted, either.

“It’s cool to be proud of your family for something that is a really honorable job to be able to work,” she said.

Her father, Chris Lloyd, agreed about how much had changed and how quickly.

“This job is always changing, always new technology,” he said. “And you gotta keep up with it.”

And for Evan Lloyd, learning from all three generations has made him more open to every part of the role.

“Getting to hear all that stuff has really opened up my mind to accept new things that are going on with the department and everything,” Evan Lloyd said.

For Gary Lloyd, the tradition means more than titles or tools. It’s about service.

“Letting the community know there’s somebody there for them at all times is really important,” he said. “And, you know, I’m just so blessed to see my family following the same tradition.”

Today, roughly 20% to 25% of the Janesville Fire Department’s roster includes legacy families like the Lloyds, McKayla Lloyd estimated.

But few can say what this one can: four firefighters, three generations and one unbreakable bond that continues to burn bright.