Lafayette County Fire Department Hires 9 New Full-time Firefighters

The population of Lafayette County now sits at just over 50,000 residents, with that number steadily growing each year. As the population continues to grow, there is also a growing need for emergency responders to serve residents. 

An important piece of Lafayette County’s emergency response team is the Lafayette County Fire Department. They serve the Oxford and Lafayette community through fire suppression, community risk reduction, search and rescue, rope rescue, emergency medical services and more.  

For many years, LCFD has operated out of 15 fire stations staffed by both paid and volunteer members. Their force consisted of 170 volunteers, 21 part-time, two full-time chiefs and three part-time assistant chiefs.  

In response to Lafayette County’s growing population, the Board of Supervisors approved the addition of nine new full-time staff members in October. The new hires include three captains, three lieutenants and three firefighters. Casey Henderson, Jamie Phillips and Mark Story are the Captains for the department. Howard Mitchell, Jamie Roy and Ethan Pettigrew are the Lieutenants. Firefighters included John Michael Hill, Tyler Hill and Carter Hillmer.   

Because most of LCFD’s firefighters are volunteers, an expanded full-time staff will bring stability to the force by every position being on-hand for each emergency situation they are called to. 

The captains are responsible for serving as the shift supervisor and are accountable for all shift personnel, both full- and part-time. They also serve as the on-scene commander of emergencies as needed. 

Lieutenant’s primary duties are to operate the fire trucks, and they also serve as the out-of-rank captain during their absences. 

Firefighters will operate emergency vehicles under the guidance of the captain and lieutenant. 

All positions will respond to all types of emergencies, including fire and emergency medical incidents. They will also be required to be trained to the NFPA 1001 I-II standard for firefighting, which is the state law for Minimum Standards Board compliance, and will complete and maintain Emergency Medical Technician certification for EMS response.    

“The Board of Supervisors is proud to expand the staff, to include full-time positions, of the fire department. Thanks to the great leadership and dedication of the current fire department, we were able to make this happen, which will increase emergency protection for our citizens,” said Mike Roberts, president of the Board of Supervisors.

Courtesy of Red Window Communications