Pressnall and Evans in front of a fire truck. Note Pressnall’s gear on the ground by the passenger-side door. All the firefighters leave their gear in a ready position to ensure the quickest response time possible.
Local Heroes Protecting Ponca City: A Day in the Life of Firefighters Dedicated to Community Safety Story by Chelsea McConnell/Staff Writer
When choosing a career path, there are a million different ways one can go. Many believe the most rewarding job is one that allows you to help people. Lieutenant Darren Pressnall and Rookie Joshua Evans with the Ponca City Fire Department share this belief. Both chose careers as firefighters and are currently working in Ponca City, helping to ensure the safety of our community. Some might be convinced that a typical day in the life of a firefighter is a little work, mostly play and a solid night’s sleep. That could not be farther from the truth for our local firefighters. In truth, there is no typical day when it comes to being a firefighter. Any number of calls can come in, usually ranging from seven on an average day to 20 or more on a busy day. Chief Butch Herring shares that many
of the calls our crews get are actually ambulance calls. Luckily for our community, they typically only see around two structure fires per month. Crews in Ponca City work 24-hour shifts beginning at 8 a.m., working one day on, then two days off. This averages out to about nine shifts per month, depending on overtime and vacation. Many have second jobs. Lieutenant Pressnall walks us through what a typical shift might look like for him. “We get here at eight o’clock. We have truck checks. We go through all the trucks, fire ‘em up, check the lights, sirens, pump ‘em, go through all the equipment, circulate the water, make sure the water’s in and make sure the pumps are working well. We have to have everything ready to go for our 24-hour shift. We go through ice chests and stock them with water.
Evans demonstrates the battery-operated stretcher to move patients in and out of the ambulance comfortably.
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