They say that the fire service is about as tight-knit of a community that you can find.

If that’s true, the Manteca Fire Department – at least for nine members of the 52 member sworn agency – just got a whole lot tighter.

On Tuesday, the department posted a photo of nine personnel that have welcomed new children into their family – and the wider Manteca Fire Department family – within the last year that quickly went viral on social media.

One of the firefighters, Chase Keener – who is in his fourth year of employment with the city – said that the phenomenon will only make the department that much closer as people rely on one another for everything from hand-me-downs to play dates.

“It’s the next generation,” said Keener, whose baby boy was wearing tiny turnouts like all of the other new arrivals in the photograph. “Most departments are very close, but this kind of stands aside from that – to have all of these young children growing up together will just make the department that much closer.”

To contact reporter Jason Campbell email jcampbell@mantecabulletin.com or call 209.249.3544.