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17 Babies! Record breaking baby-boom year for Oceanside Fire Department

It's been a record breaking baby-boom year for an Oceanside Fire Department family.

OCEANSIDE (NEWS 8) - It's been a record breaking baby-boom year for an Oceanside Fire Department family. 

Between July of 2017 and July 1, 2018, Oceanside firemen's wives gave birth to 17 babies!

Reese Wilson, who is only 15-months-old, was the first in the clan of nine boys and eight girls. "It started out one after the next, after the next," said Captain Timothy Scott with the Oceanside Fire Department. 

For job that is demanding, firefighters told News 8 their babies have been a blessing - creating a great support system at work and outside of work. "It makes us not feel so bad at work for two or three days," said Chris Wilson, an Oceanside firefighter.

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Last Sunday, the families gathered for a group photo. 

Now retired Captain Mark Finstuen, 52, and his wife Sarah, 45, are the oldest parents - giving birth to their daughter, baby Saylor. "It's a miracle for sure. Being a scientist, we calculated the odds. We had a two-percent chance of having a baby and it happened," said Sarah. 

Crunching in the numbers, 20-percent of the Oceanside Fire Department has had new additions to their families. "You might be able to staff some of the neighboring stations with this generation," said Battalion Chief Greg deAvila. 

Veterans of the force said they could not recall another time the stork visited the department with record numbers. 

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