OSU-OKC receives fire truck donation from Warr Acres

Future firefighters will train with one more tool in their arsenal thanks to a donation from the City of Warr Acres.

The City of Warr Acres aims to improve the future of firefighting by donating a fire truck to Oklahoma State University-Oklahoma City.

The truck is among the tools that Oklahoma State University-Oklahoma City will use to train the next generation of firefighters.

“This is an effort for us to provide a resource that we had to give to continuing the education of firefighters,” said Warr Acres Fire Chief Stephen Coy. 

Coy and Warr Acres Mayor Roger Godwin were among those on hand for the delivery of the fire truck to OSU-OKC. 

Coy said Oklahoma firefighters have to be among the most prepared in the nation.  

“Whether rural or metro, firefighters are needed in every community,” Coy said. “Something that differs about Oklahoma firefighters … we can face a variety of magnitude of disasters from winter ice storms to wildland/urban interface fires. Just about anything, we have to be ready for it.”

The fire truck was accepted by OSU-OKC interim provost Ronna Vanderslice and OSU-OKC Fire Protection Program Director Joe Bennett.

OSU-OKC officials thanked Warr Acres for their support of the OSU-OKC program and their commitment to the future generations of firefighters who would receive training thanks in part to this donation.

“We greatly appreciate the donation of the fire truck,” Bennett said. “It really supports the fire training we do here at OSU-OKC. It’ll be added to our fleet, and it will also help us start to address our high school training program as well. 

This fall, concurrent enrollment high school students can begin taking firefighting classes at OSU-OKC, allowing those who have an interest in pursuing this career to get a head start. 

“We are offering concurrent enrollment to high school students here in the central metro area, and we plan to offer it statewide in the near future,” Bennett said. 

This donation, the fourth of its kind to OSU-OKC since 2018, will directly support the fire training program at OSU-OKC, ensuring that aspiring firefighters have access to essential training equipment.

New and more equipment continues to be needed by the OSU-OKC fire department as it faces continued growth.

“A brand-new fire engine can cost anywhere from $500,000 and above,” Bennett said. “Obviously, this one is used, but it’s still a significant value, of a cost that we could not purchase one ourselves.”

New firefighters are needed continually in the state as previous generations age out of the workforce, Bennett said.

“Our program brings in the younger generation and gets them prepared with all the certifications they need to be hired onto fire departments,” Bennett said. “Fire departments have a staffing issue at this point so every student that we train helps them fulfill that need. 

For more information about OSU-OKC’s firefighter training, visit osuokc.edu/fire and osuokc.edu/fire-academy.