Columbus Fire and Rescue personnel respond to a call for a structure fire.

A brave firefighter enters the blaze in full turnout gear.

When he emerges, removing his oxygen mask, onlookers are greeted by a thick, luxurious mustache that seems to glisten in the sunlight.

While this scenario is obviously made up for laughs, it is not entirely far-fetched, as firefighters in Columbus have begun bonding over their love of facial hair, specifically growing mustaches.

“It just shows solidarity and kinship in the fire service,” Chief Duane Hughes said. “We’re a paramilitary organization, so everything has to be just right and have uniformity. So, firefighters will sometimes do some things to distinguish themselves, and the mustache has always been one way that happens.”

Hughes said the mustache trend has come and gone throughout the years in the fire service. It has also undergone different phases such as the handlebar, walrus and even just a soul patch, a patch of hair under the lower lip.

Hughes himself has even joined in on the fun, sporting a nice ‘stache.

Where firefighters bond over the growth of facial hair now, it has not always been that way.

“In the past, it has been a morale killer, when the administration forbade growing mustaches,” Hughes said. “As I said, being a paramilitary organization, the uniforms are the same. Everything is the same. So, it stifled individuality.”

Firefighters are allowed to grow mustaches and essentially choose whatever style they want, so long as it does not extend into the area where the face shield makes a seal with the face.

“We still obey the rules, keeping it within reason,” Hughes said.

The current cycle of mustache growth can be traced back to two individuals, Josh Conners and Damon Estes, and it began last year, Hughes said.

The irony of it is, both men have since shaved their respective mustaches.

“We had one guy that’s here now (Conners), he had a great mustache,” Jamie Adams said. “I came in on a Monday, I walked in and was like, ‘Gosh, what happened?’ It was gone.”

The surprise shaving led to a little joking at Conners’s expense.

Hughes said there are bragging rights, but also, sometimes money is involved.

“It has bragging rights for those who are able to grow the full mustaches and soul patches, kind of ribbing the little ‘babyfaces’ that are still around,” he said. “Then sometimes it gets into competitions. There have been money competitions. Who can grow the quickest, thickest mustache? The wives were called in to be judges.”

Not being labeled “babyface” is motivation for some to partake in the unofficial team building exercise.

But there is also a sense of distinction, belonging to something bigger than oneself, that goes along with it.

“A grown man should have some facial hair,” Engineer Justin Martin said with a hearty laugh. “What it does is it distinguishes you. When somebody sees this mustache, they know you are some type of military or first responder.”

Adams added that he has been mistaken for Air Force before.

Many of the firefighters look up to Mike Chandler, who sports a walrus mustache, and is quite proud of it. Instead of partaking in the “trends,” he has been a sort of constant.

“Just to let you know, walrus was the codename for, ‘The only firefighter that can grow a decent mustache,’” Chandler said with a laugh. “I can tell you, the last time I shaved my mustache was August of 1983, when I was in the service in the Persian Gulf.”

Ultimately, growing mustaches helps the firefighters have a sense of camaraderie and help keep a positive attitude toward the job.

“When you’re in a position where you can’t give monetary raises, you have to look at other ways to encourage the people you work with and foster a positive work environment,” Hughes said. “And if growing a mustache does that, so be it.”

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