Virginia 4-year-old visits all 39 county fire stations, fueling dream to become firefighter

FAIRFAX COUNTY, Va. (WJLA) — A Virginia boy who dreams of being a firefighter celebrated a big accomplishment alongside some of his favorite first responders on Thursday.

After two years in the making, Hillel S. completed his mission to visit all 39 Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Stations.

Hillel, 4, loves everything about firefighters. In fact, he's counting down the years until he can become a firefighter himself.

“Oh yeah, I am going to be a fire marshal,” Hillel said.

He already has all of the gear, top to bottom: turnouts, helmet, you name it. He's even impressed Assistant Fire Chief Daniel Shaw.

Someone so young loves what we do every day, it is refreshing to see,” Shaw said. "It’s reflective of what we are, grown-up kids, and this is probably how most of us got into this because we love this so much."

At age 2, Hillel visited Station 40 where he began his journey to visit all 39 Fairfax County Fire stations.

“That's was when I started collecting patches," Hillel said.

This week, he just completed his visit to all 39, ending at Station 4 in Herndon. At home, Hillel has a firetruck bed and recently asked his mom if he can shave his head to be a bald firefighter.

His mother laughed that it took her weeks to convince him not to shave his head.

“Because I am so much into firefighting,” Hillel said.

Thursday, he visited the C-shift where it all started to celebrate his journey, making new friends and inspiring first responders.