Sparks looks back on 40 years as firefighter

Jun. 26—OXFORD — Fire Chief Gary Sparks recently passed the 40-year mark as a firefighter — a profession he was almost destined to be in by his constant exposure to the service.

"I did think about becoming a coach," Sparks said with a grin. "But I wasn't sure I would get past the English tests."

Sparks ascended to his current position on March 3, 2007, and has guided the department to the professional levels of service it offers today.

"While we can always improve and strive every day to get better, we have come so far especially in the last 16 years," Sparks said. "You have to remember this was an all-volunteer fire department then with a few part-timers."

The first six full-time firefighters hired in 2007 served two on a shift.

"Currently, we have 44 full-time firefighters, eight volunteers and some part-timers we use to fill in," Sparks said. "We have also built four fire stations and a training center we didn't have before."

Sparks added the equipment being used by the OFD is "top of the line."

"I don't know of another department where their oldest frontline pumper is only five years old," he said. "We have six frontline pumpers and three of them are 2018s and three are 2022s. We have two ladder trucks, three rescue vehicles and a tanker."

Sparks said the OFD team also has all-new air packs and they all have two new sets of turnout gear.

"Having the ability to change into fresh turnout gear is very important to the health of our firefighters," he said. "Back when I started it was a sin to wash your turnouts, but we have since learned wearing dirty turnouts could be a cancer hazard. Cancer is a big cause of death in the fire services to the point the state recognizes it as an 'in the line of duty' death now. If our crew comes in from a fire, we have washers and dryers to clean the soiled outfits and they have a fresh clean new one they can use right away."

Sparks said although the OFD has emergency medical service capabilities, the creation of Oxford Health Systems has taken much of that load from the fire department.

"We are preparing to expand our hazmat capabilities," he said. "That has become necessary as we see more industries coming in, we have a railroad that comes through our city and we cover 21 miles of Interstate 20. That presents an increased potential of having a hazmat situation so there is a real need for us to be prepared in that area."

Sparks said the department currently has only one vacancy but his file of current applications culled over a two-year span only numbers 10.

"We're looking for people who are good firefighters but in general we're looking for good people with good work ethics. We can teach them and make them into firefighters if they are willing," he said. "When I worked at Anniston, we hired a guy that was green and knew nothing about the fire service. Now, he's an assistant chief at Anniston."

Sparks admits you can teach the logistics of the job, but you cannot teach the passion, which is just as necessary a tool as any other.

"This is like any other public service," he said. "You don't get into it to become rich. You have to have that passion and drive in you to help others. It's not a natural act to run into a burning building to save someone or someone's property. That means firefighting is not a profession for everybody."

He recalled new hires who lasted for only one shift asking if they were expected to "stay up all day at the station and then be up all night fighting fires."

Sparks uses the moment to forcefully knock down the stereotype that firefighters just "eat and sleep at the station waiting for the alarm to ring."

"That is far from the truth," he said. "We train a lot. Our recent ISO evaluation said we went above and beyond the required number of training hours. Every fire hydrant in the city must be tested once a year. Every business must be inspected once a year. Every piece of fire hose must be tested once a year. All the truck pumps must be tested once a year. There are things going on all the time including fire prevention presentations and installing smoke alarms for those residents who need and ask for one, appearing at events and a big presence at Choccolocco Park to assist the public and Parks and Recreation in any way we can. Those are the things people aren't likely to see or notice."

One of the hazards of the job is facing death — not just your own but that of the ones who you may have been trying to save.

"That is an issue that is becoming more prevalent in the fire service and people are starting to recognize it," Sparks said. "When you hear about PTSD it is automatically associated with the military. We are finding out our firefighters, police and EMS also suffer from PTSD. There are some people who have difficulty with those scenes that can pile up."

He said the Alabama Fire College now has a peer support group that sends people out to work with those departments who have worked a particularly tragic call and there is also a PTSD team organized within the county by Alabama Children's Home area director Ted Embry. Those are augmented by two chaplains, Harold Feazell and Chris Spurlin, whom Sparks appointed on his first day as chief.

"We had a school bus accident which resulted in the death of a child," Sparks recalled. "I immediately took all that worked the call off the trucks, debriefed them and the PTSD team kept in touch with each one of them. There has always been the 'macho thing' where you are expected to show no emotion. Those days are gone. Suicide has become prevalent in first responders and if it's something we can help them get through that's what we want to do. I always tell them it's alright to cry. I'm going to sit there and cry with you."

Sparks has seen up close the passion of firefighters as he watched his father serve as a volunteer fireman in the early '70s, his brother and nephew as volunteers and all those he became close to and mentored him when he started working at the fire station at the age of 15.

"The city hired me to sweep up around the station and wash the trucks." Sparks said. "I worked there all the way through high school and from that point on fire service was all I ever wanted to do."

Sparks' high school years ended prophetically when elected to the position of fire chief as part of the annual Senior Day at Oxford High School.

"My son was also elected fire chief when he was a senior," Sparks added, noting his son is currently an Oxford volunteer fireman.

Sparks began his service in Anniston, which was the only full-time fire department at that time.

"I spent 20 years in Anniston and remained a volunteer at Oxford for those first two years. I then went part time here for the next 18 years on my off days," he said. "Most firefighters have part-time jobs. You can go to a fire station and get just about anything done — mechanics, plumbers, grass cutters, painters. I was lucky to work here then, after retiring from Anniston as assistant chief, come here as chief."

Sparks explains the special and unique bond with firefighters exists "because you live with these people."

"It's not just working a shift and going home," he said. "Here at the fire service they are together for 24 straight hours and they become family. Because of that, and understanding what it is like to be separated from your family for those long periods of time, my standing order is that our stations must be G-rated all the time. That's not just because the public in general might come by, but because there could be spouses and kids coming by. I want our department to be family friendly. If a family wants to bring the kids over in the afternoon to see Daddy, I don't have a problem with that. Come on by."

Sparks has seen much over his career — both good and bad — but has never second guessed his decision to be a firefighter.

"I could never repay what the fire service has done for me," Sparks said. "The fire service has provided for my family. It's provided me with friendships all over the state. I can never repay it for what it has done for me personally. I just can hope I've done at least a little bit."

Staff Writer Brian Graves: 256-236-1551.