The Los Angeles Rams football team celebrated first responders for their efforts in January’s devastating wildfires on Friday (April 25), as they became the first National Football League team in history to host their draft headquarters from a fire station.

In attendance were star quarterback Matthew Stafford, wide receiver Puka Nacua, and head coach Sean McVay, who gave first responders a fiery and inspirational thank you.

"I commend you guys, and I really just say to you, thank you, you inspire us, all right, and hey, I can promise you this, as I look up here, I feel a lot more confident as a coach," he told the crowd.

The fire station in Van Nuys will serve as the war room as the LA Rams make their draft selection for the upcoming season. According to the team, they’ve converted a room within the station to serve the needs of McVay and general manager Les Snead for the duration of the NFL Draft.

Molly Higgins, executive vice President of community impact and engagement for the L.A. Rams, said this was one of the ways the team looked to celebrate the dedication and recovery efforts supported by first responders from all across the region. She said the Rams are committed to continuous support during the recovery phase.

"This was another example of our way of saying thank you to our heroes, and I think just to see the smiles and laughs and the gratitude," she said.

As the players took photos and signed autographs, running back Blake Corum was optimistic about the upcoming season and looked to bring the event’s inspiration to kick off the new season.

"They're the true heroes at the end of the day. They had to go out there, fight these fires, and they did a wonderful job at saving L.A. And so we're going to take the inspiration [and] throw it into our culture and have a wonderful season."

(Production: Jorge Garcia)