Sacramento, California – With Father’s Day just around the corner, Sacramento Fire is taking a moment to recognize the dads and father figures who show up every day — at home, at work and in the community.
The department has plenty of fathers in its ranks. Firehouses across Sacramento are filled with people who balance the demands of emergency service with the steady responsibilities of family life. But this year’s Father’s Day nod also comes with a lighter story from the Southside, where two firefighters share more than a uniform and a last name.
Rescue 20 Firefighter Fergus Johnson is not a father. Neither is Engine 7 Firefighter Magnus Johnson. Still, the two have heard the same mix-up more than once. When people learn both men serve with Sacramento Fire in the same general area of the city, the assumption often comes quickly: Fergus must be Magnus’ dad.
That is not quite how the family tree works.
Fergus is the older brother. Magnus is the younger brother. The resemblance, the shared last name and their work in the same department have simply made the misunderstanding easy to believe. It is the kind of mistake that follows them from one introduction to another, and sometimes even resurfaces when crews cross paths on calls.
They serve at different stations, so they are not side by side every shift. But emergency work has a way of bringing firefighters together at the same scenes, especially when crews respond across the Southside of Sacramento. On those occasions, the brotherly connection becomes visible again — and so does the familiar confusion.
For Fergus, the mistaken “father” label may come with a little chagrin. For everyone else, it adds a bit of humor to a Father’s Day message that is really about appreciation.
Sacramento Fire’s message is simple: the department is sending a shoutout to all the dads and father figures out there. Whether they wear a uniform, raise a family, guide a younger generation or simply stand steady for the people who count on them, this weekend is their moment.
“Happy Father’s Day to all the dads out there!!!”