Columbus fire and rescue are in search for firefighters to complete their team

Being a Firefighter was at the top of the list for several kids growing up

COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI)- The guys in the big red truck are set to help people no matter the circumstance, but when there aren’t enough of them to do that job it typically causes issues.

Being a Firefighter was at the top of the list for several kids growing up but that has slowly become less interesting over the years.  Columbus Fire Chief Martin Andrews said his department is trying to do what it takes to get people back to their childhood dreams. Andrews knows pay is one thing keeping people from applying to the department, but he feels that if they start here it can take them where they want to be.

“As we know it takes a lot of money, time, and effort to train firefighters, but once they get that training then they move on to bigger departments that’s paying better money,” said Andrews.

The Columbus Fire Department currently has 12 firefighter positions they are trying to fill, and encourage anyone interested to join their team. Fighting fires isn’t their only task.

“We’re trained to do medical calls, we’re trained to fight fires, we’re trained to handle earthquakes any type of emergency that we can think of,” said Andrews.

Chief Andrews and chief of training Mike Chandler said they want to appeal to the younger generation to get their attention early and hopefully keep it. Once a person finishes at the academy they have to do certain tasks to see if the job is a fit for them.

“They’ve got a little task book that they have to get signed off on which is just basic firefighter tasks.  It allows an individual to see what firefighting is about and whether or not they are a fit,” said Chandler.

The department knows that getting people in the door will take some time, but the chief is pushing for pay and other benefits to get people in and dedicated to the department.

“Push promotions, push training, going to school being able to travel all over the United States and witness different training sites different departments,” said Andrews.

If anyone is interested in joining the Columbus Fire and Rescue team; they can go to the city of Columbus website or go to city hall and ask for a firefighter application.