Scott and Emily Peraria share more than a last name. They share a commitment to their community and to serving that community as members of the Ship Bottom Volunteer Fire Co.

“Volunteering together gives us something that I don’t think a lot of dads and daughters get to bond over. It’s awesome,” Emily said, adding of her father, “He’s one of the oldest guys there that isn’t a life member, who still does all the hard, physical work and loves it. It’s amazing to see him light up like that.”

She said when she first joined the fire company, a lot of the members remembered her father from when he served. Together, they were successful in recruiting Scott to return to the fire service a few months after Emily was on board in 2017. But truth be told, it didn’t take all that much convincing.

“Emily went through fire school and started serving there, and that’s when I became interested in returning to the fire…