So you want to be a firefighter? New Lawton program allows ride-alongs

When you’re in a time of emergency, be it a fire, wreck, or medical emergency, it’s usually a fire truck that will pull up to the rescue first.

But with firefighter numbers well below what’s needed in Lawton, those firefighters are worn thin. The department hopes a new program allowing citizens to ride along will entice new prospects, according to Fire Chief Jared Williams.

Williams said it will give people considering firefighting as a career a clearer picture.

“Some people will go in thinking they want to do this and may see they really don’t,” he said, “and for others, they may see this is something they really want to do.”

For a department losing more experienced firefighters to retirement and to higher wages elsewhere, this could be a blessing.

Nolan Berry, secretary treasurer of International Association of Firefighters, Local 1882, said low pay in Lawton is driving some firefighters to other cities. The starting pay in Lawton is $43,600. The City of Lawton would need $11,000 more per year to get new fire recruits to the average pay of peer cities ($54,221) and $20,000 more for firefighters at the top of the average pay scale ($78,070.72), Williams said.

“It’s a great place to work if you can afford it,” Berry said, “that’s how the guys view it.”

Berry said Lawton’s fire academy has a reputation for turning out well-trained firefighters. So much so that other cities in Oklahoma offer them better paying jobs.

“The craziest thing about all of this is we have a great fire department in Lawton as far as the people associated with it and who work here,” he said, “we’re second to none in the state.”

Berry said recruitment isn’t like it has been in the past and the pay issue has led to firefighters training for the Lawton department to find greener pastures before graduation, he said.

“We even lose guys before that six months (training period) is up after they get their certifications,” he said.

Berry said losses to manpower are coming at a record rate when you add in retirements. He said he believes city officials are ready to work with the union and firefighters to make a turnaround.

“We just have to get to the table to find that solution that will benefit both sides,” he said.

You can contact the fire department to set up a ride along during business hours and see what the job entails.