Many young adults are asked, “What do you want to do with your life?”

For 20-year-old Todd Haydt, of Northampton, the answer was easy.

For four years, Haydt has been a volunteer firefighter, a tradition that runs in his family. His grandfather Sterling Haydt Jr. was a longtime volunteer firefighter. His father, Jeremy Haydt, is also a volunteer.

“My father got his start with my grandfather at the Alliance Fire Company (Northampton Borough) and later with First Ward Fire Company,” Haydt said.

Haydt started at a department in Carbon County. He then switched over to Allen Township Fire Company No. 1, where his father served as captain.

“With the number of volunteer firefighters going down annually, we try to do what we can to help out,” Haydt said.

When Haydt is not volunteering at the fire department, 3530 Howertown Road, he is working at Miller Supply Ace Hardware, Route 329, as a forklift operator in the warehouse.

“I load customers with bulk items and put deliveries together on delivery trucks,” he explained.

Haydt plans on keeping the family tradition alive through his dedication to firefighting.

“I want to go as far as I can,” he said. “It’s good for the community.”