Starkville fire department has openings on their team

STARKVILLE, Miss. (WCBI)- First responders are essential to the community, but even sometimes they need help. The Starkville fire department is looking for 6 people to join their team to help provide for the community.

People often associate firefighters with just putting out fires, but they do much more than that and the career has several benefits. The fire department is looking for their next great employee to join their team. Some people have already taken the opportunity and have loved the outcome.

“I’m a Christian I’ve always you know believed in being generous and helping people so when I got into the job and was able to be there for people on their worst days and help them for me it was very fulfilling, but at the same time I’m also providing for my family while I’m doing it so for me it was just a win-win situation,” said in training firefighter Nick Pearson.

Pearson fell in love with his opportunity to join the department. He and fire chief Charles Yarbrough want people to know that the job requires multiple skills.

“It’s a job that requires you to be good at a lot of different things, and you don’t just learn those things once you have to continue practicing those skills to be ready at any minute because we get paid to be ready,” said Pearson.

“It’s not a job number one its a career so I think people get into this thinking it’s going to be one thing and they get here and they find out that not only do you have to fight fires, but you have to learn how to sweep and mop floors too,” said Yarbrough.

The career does require long hours, but there are benefits that come along with hard work.

” They’ll be 24 hours on with 48 hours off and we have great benefits; dental insurance, health care insurance, a retirement that’s one big thing also it’s just the goal of giving back to the community that’s the main benefit to me,” said Yarbrough.

Yarbrough said people strayed away from being firefighters as they grew up, but want them to know that they can progress in this field as well as any other.

“There’s a great potential for advancement you can start off as I said as a firefighter. There’s potential for promotions you can promote within three years for your first promotion you can promote through the ranks not only that we offer free education benefits,” said Yarbrough.

The fire department is now accepting applications and will be hosting a hiring assessment on Monday, April 12, 2021, at 9 a.m.