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<p>ASTORIA, Ore. &#8212; As family members often do, Emily Herndon began telling a story that slightly embarrassed her mother, Christina. Seated inside a fire truck at the Lewis and Clark Fire Department station, they recalled a particularly memorable medical call.</p><p>Emily and her mother, grandfather &#8212; Capt. Kevin Miller &#8212; and uncle &#8212; Adam Miller &#8212; are volunteer firefighters. A few weeks ago, they received a pager notification. A medical help button at an elderly woman&#8217;s house had been tapped in the middle of the night, so the family responded.</p><p>When they arrived on the scene, Kevin, Christina and Emily &#8212; unsure if those inside were either unconscious or asleep &#8212; banged on the walls and yelled out.</p><p>They entered the home and began walking down a hallway, still banging the walls, but were not able to hear anything. Suddenly, they saw a large man come out of a bedroom and race toward them.</p><p>&#8220;All I see is some dude booking it down the hallway,&#8221; said Christina, who joined in telling the story after some pause. &#8220;I turn around and my face was like &#8212; white.&#8221;</p><p>Christina and Emily ran out of the house. It turned out the man was simply checking on his mother in another room. The woman was fine; she likely rolled over on the medical help button in her sleep. But the story is a hit at family gatherings.</p><p>The Miller-Herndon clan is a large presence in the Lewis and Clark Fire Department, which includes 29 firefighters and two stations. Kevin Miller supervises the firefighters &#8212; including his family &#8212; at the Logan Road station.</p><p>Having multiple generations of one family join a volunteer department is a much more common occurrence on the East Coast than out West, former Astoria Fire Chief Leonard Hansen said. For volunteer fire departments, that line of succession can play a key role in the organization&#8217;s health.</p><p>&#8220;They&#8217;re a huge presence,&#8221; Hansen said of the Millers. &#8220;You don&#8217;t see it that much out here.&#8221;</p><p>Kevin, whose experience includes 25 years with the Astoria Fire Department and a stint at Medix, has been a staple with the Lewis and Clark Fire Department for 45 years. His mark can be seen immediately after walking into the Logan Road station, where his firefighting-related murals, including one of the American flag being raised above ground zero after 9/11, are on the walls.</p><p>&#8220;As a Christian, I believe we&#8217;re all given specialties,&#8221; Kevin said. &#8220;I believe the Lord made me for emergency services. The desire was there to help people in need.&#8221;</p><p>While Kevin leads, Christina serves as an emergency medical responder, Adam drives trucks and Emily &#8212; a junior at Astoria High School &#8212; is a cadet.</p><p>Adam, who also provides some medical and engineering services, said he appreciates &#8220;just seeing the different things that they&#8217;re able to do that I&#8217;m not able to do.&#8221;</p><p>When asked about why they joined, Miller&#8217;s children and granddaughter offered a similar sentiment. They all said that, once they became interested in joining, they did not think too long or prod Kevin with questions.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s just natural, feels natural,&#8221; Emily said.</p><p>As the family sat around the firehouse, Haylee Herndon, Christina&#8217;s 12-year-old daughter, wandered past them. When asked if she was interested in becoming a cadet in the future, Haylee immediately nodded her head in approval.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">From left, Adam Miller, Emily Herndon, Christina Herndon and Kevin Miller pose for a group photo at the Lewis and Clark Fire Department Station #2 near Warrenton, Ore., on Aug. 21. Three generations of family members currently serve with the department. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/web1_AP17243756618037.jpg</photo0><caption0>From left, Adam Miller, Emily Herndon, Christina Herndon and Kevin Miller pose for a group photo at the Lewis and Clark Fire Department Station #2 near Warrenton, Ore., on Aug. 21. Three generations of family members currently serve with the department. </caption0><photoCredit0>Colin Murphey | Daily Astorian via AP </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/web1_AP17243756629667.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Kevin Miller holds up a photograph depicting three generations of the Herndon and Miller family. The Miller-Herndon clan is a large presence in the Lewis and Clark Fire Department, which includes 29 firefighters and two stations. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/web1_AP17243756629667.jpg</photo1><caption1>Kevin Miller holds up a photograph depicting three generations of the Herndon and Miller family. The Miller-Herndon clan is a large presence in the Lewis and Clark Fire Department, which includes 29 firefighters and two stations. </caption1><photoCredit1>Colin Murphey | Daily Astorian via AP </photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/web1_AP17243756627129.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Lewis and Clark Fire Department cadet Emily Herndon, second from the left, finishes putting out a vehicle fire near Warrenton, Ore., in July. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/web1_AP17243756627129.jpg</photo2><caption2>Lewis and Clark Fire Department cadet Emily Herndon, second from the left, finishes putting out a vehicle fire near Warrenton, Ore., in July. </caption2><photoCredit2>Colin Murphey | Daily Astorian via AP </photoCredit2></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><subheadMeta>Oregon clan proud of heritage</subheadMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Jack Heffernan | The Daily Historian via AP</p></bylineMeta></div>

Firefighting a family tradition for Miller-Herndon clan in Astoria, Ore.