OKLAHOMA CITY — Battalion Chief Benny Fulkerson has spent the final section of his fireplace service profession with the title Public Information Officer of the Oklahoma City Fire Department. And, after 30 years in fireplace service, Fulkerson will retire Friday, Jan. thirtieth.
He will be missed by these editors and reporters who have common contact with the key particular person in the division who delivers correct information about the newest fireplace or emergency incident to occur in Oklahoma City.
Fulkerson has been the embodiment of the title “PIO” in each method. When Free Press has referred to as, he has been keen to reply and reply all of our questions with out reservation.
TV broadcast reporters who need on-the-scene information on digicam delivered in a expert trend, Fulkerson has been there and cooperative.
His information of what’s occurring at a fireplace can’t be changed by a one who is aware of advertising however not what it takes to guard a metropolis from fires, floods, and so many different occasions that threaten our security.
It is to everybody’s profit and Fulkerson’s credit score that he has been the kind of chief who has skilled up a crew of firefighters who know what it takes to speak to the press about what they’re doing.
Always studying
It’s not straightforward to seek out firefighters who need to be in the PIO workplace, both. Fulkerson instructed us that it’s a secure wager that no one goes into fireplace service planning to be a PIO in the future.
“I’ve been telling people that if you had told me I would end up with this career path, I would have told you that you were crazy,” he instructed me by cellphone in his final week on the job. “I’m not a public speaker.”
And, he gave us a trace of what his pitch could have been as he has efficiently pulled firefighters into the PIO workplace.
“It’s crazy what you’re capable of, if you just give yourself a shot.” And, as he has given himself that shot, he says he has been in a position to find out about what it takes to contribute to correct reporting about the fireplace service.
“I’ve learned about the media and how that world works. It’s just been fascinating,” stated Fulkerson. “To see all of that, and how many of you all do such a great job, it’s so professional what you do, and then I’ve just have gained a whole new appreciation for all that.”
“So, it’s been a lot of fun. It’s been good.”
He instructed us that the huge payoff for him as the PIO has been studying the many ways in which “all the different components come together for thge same purpose.”
The Oklahoma City Fire Department is a massive division with over 1,000 individuals in the ranks. Fulkerson stated he grew up in Crescent, Oklahoma when the inhabitants was about 1,200 individuals complete. So, studying how the massive division labored collectively was a steep studying curve.
“It’s easy to be isolated in your little area, whether it be your fire station, or the dispatchers office or code enforcement office or wherever you are,” Said Fulkerson. “It’s easy to get in your little silo and forget that everybody’s pulling on that rope for the same thing: to say lives and property, and that they’re all doing it in different ways.”
Three generations
Fulkerson, who began with the Guthrie Fire Department after which bought on with the OKC Fire division 26 years in the past, stated that he’s the third technology in his household to have been in the fireplace service.
His father, Bob Fulkerson, retired from The Village Fire Department in 1979 after 20 years.
And, his grandfather, Don West, retired from the Oklahoma City Fire Department in 1963 after 20 years.
I requested what it was that drew generations of households to the fireplace service.
“What better job in the world to do than come to work in a family atmosphere, doing something you really enjoy doing? Doing something that’s never boring? Doing something that you can literally impact people’s lives and even save people’s lives? I mean, there’s nothing better.”
Last Updated December 24, 2022, 12:50 PM by Brett Dickerson – Editor
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