“As firefighters, we are here to serve and protect our communities. That’s why we do what we do.”

Casey Jones

Why did you become a firefighter?

Casey Jones grew up watching Backdraft, with Kurt Russell. In that movie, Russell played a firefighter — a hero — who risked his life to carry out his duties. Jones wanted to be that hero, too.

At age 8, Casey’s parents took him to New York City where they visited a fire station. The crewmembers let him try on turnout gear and showed him around the station. They even got a call during the Jones’s visit and Casey got to see them roll out of the station.

“Everybody looks up to these guys,” Jones noted. “Little kids, parents, teachers… Heck, even the police look up to firefighters!”

He began volunteering as a firefighter when he turned 18 years old, also putting some time in with the local Sheriff’s Department. Just a few years later, Jones earned his dream job: full time firefighter for Little Rock Fire Department.

Has firefighting lived up to everything you thought it would be?

“It’s definitely a dream come true,” Jones stated. “It’s not always ‘go, go, go’ and the call where you actually get to save someone’s life is pretty rare. But when those calls do come in, it makes it all worth it.”

Today, Mr. Jones is the Health and Safety officer for Little Rock FD. He practices Crossfit, orchestrates physical training for new and incumbent firefighters, and is an amateur body builder during his days off. Jones constantly pushes himself to be sure his body is ready for peak performance when he needs to be.

What advice do you have for other firefighters?

Invest in yourself.

It takes a minimum of 960 hours to learn the basic foundation of knowledge for firefighting. That foundation provides enough knowledge to step on the truck and then the real learning begins.

There are many specialties in the fire service beyond the responsibilities of being a firefighter. Each of these specialties require knowledge, training, and experience to be able to become proficient at them.

With everything becoming more technology-based, many professionals are becoming more specialized. “I see degrees needed just to get hired moving forward,” Mr. Jones predicted. “The foundation of knowledge that a student builds in getting an Associate’s Degree is extremely helpful in helping him or her excel professionally.”

“By getting a college degree, you’re improving yourself and those around you. By improving the abilities of the crew, the services provided to the citizens will improve.”

Casey Jones

Mr. Jones painted a picture to draw an analogy for the importance of knowledge in the fire service. “If you decided one day that you wanted to be a surgeon and you start performing surgeries, giving it your best with a base level of education, you’d be in serious trouble (and so would your patients). So what makes you think that you can come into the fire service and just wing it? We can’t just learn on the job from our superiors any more. We need to proactively learn and get better every chance we get.”

During his rookie year, 13 years ago, Mr. Jones got his first structure fire call: a two-story apartment. Jones was so ready on his way to the scene that he put on his mask and began breathing oxygen in the truck.

Jones and his captain approached the unit first. “Take off the mask,” his captain said, “preserve your air.” The captain kicked the front door in and entered, without a mask, on his hands and knees. Jones followed, putting on his mask when he could barely see or breathe just feet into the apartment.

The two got to the fire and put it out after 30 seconds.

Jones exited the apartment, excited about a successful knockdown for his first fire, talking with his crewmembers about how awesome it was.

Amid his excitement, his battalion chief, in the majestic white uniform, approached him. His stoic expression reflected decades of experience on the job.

“Casey, do you see that lady right there?” the chief asked. She was crying and barefoot on the asphalt outside. “That was her apartment. I want you to do me a favor. Go back in there, find her closet, and get her a pair of shoes.”

The levity of the situation immediately brought a left hook to the unsuspecting rookie.

“That’s what we do it for,” Jones thought to himself. “We are here to serve and protect our communities.” Then, he realized, “I’ve got a lot to learn.”

She ran out to save her life and didn’ thave time to grab a pair of shoes in the heat of the moment. The chief knew his job: to serve the public.

“It’s very easy to get caught up in the day to day of being a firefighter. When it’s all boiled down, the fire department’s role is to serve that poor woman who didn’t have time to get her shoes as she evacuated her apartment.”

Casey Jones