Last Updated on December 24, 2022, 12:50 PM | Published: December 24, 2022
OKLAHOMA CITY — Battalion Chief Benny Fulkerson has spent the last segment of his fire service career with the title Public Information Officer of the Oklahoma City Fire Department. And, after 30 years in fire service, Fulkerson will retire Friday, Jan. 30th.
He will be missed by those editors and reporters who have regular contact with the key person in the department who delivers accurate information about the latest fire or emergency incident to happen in Oklahoma City.
Fulkerson has been the embodiment of the title “PIO” in every way. When Free Press has called, he has been willing to respond and answer all of our questions without reservation.
TV broadcast reporters who want on-the-scene information on camera delivered in a skilled fashion, Fulkerson has been there and cooperative.
His knowledge of what’s happening at a fire cannot be replaced by a person who knows marketing but not what it takes to protect a city from fires, floods, and so many other events that threaten our safety.
It is to everyone’s benefit and Fulkerson’s credit that he has been the type of leader who has trained up a crew of firefighters who know what it takes to talk to the press about what they are doing.
Always learning
It’s not easy to find firefighters who want to be in the PIO office, either. Fulkerson told us that it is a safe bet that nobody goes into fire service planning to be a PIO one day.
“I’ve been telling people that if you had told me I would end up with this career path, I would have told you that you were crazy,” he told me by phone in his last week on the job. “I’m not a public speaker.”
And, he gave us a hint of what his pitch may have been as he has successfully pulled firefighters into the PIO office.
“It’s crazy what you’re capable of, if you just give yourself a shot.” And, as he has given himself that shot, he says he has been able to learn about what it takes to contribute to accurate reporting about the fire service.
“I’ve learned about the media and how that world works. It’s just been fascinating,” said Fulkerson. “To see all of that, and how many of you all do such a great job, it’s so professional what you do, and then I’ve just have gained a whole new appreciation for all that.”
“So, it’s been a lot of fun. It’s been good.”
He told us that the big payoff for him as the PIO has been learning the many ways that “all the different components come together for thge same purpose.”
The Oklahoma City Fire Department is a large department with over 1,000 people in the ranks. Fulkerson said he grew up in Crescent, Oklahoma when the population was about 1,200 people total. So, learning how the large department worked together was a steep learning curve.
“It’s easy to be isolated in your little area, whether it be your fire station, or the dispatchers office or code enforcement office or wherever you are,” Said Fulkerson. “It’s easy to get in your little silo and forget that everybody’s pulling on that rope for the same thing: to say lives and property, and that they’re all doing it in different ways.”
Three generations
Fulkerson, who started with the Guthrie Fire Department and then got on with the OKC Fire department 26 years ago, said that he is the third generation in his family to have been in the fire service.
His father, Bob Fulkerson, retired from The Village Fire Department in 1979 after 20 years.
And, his grandfather, Don West, retired from the Oklahoma City Fire Department in 1963 after 20 years.
I asked what it was that drew generations of families to the fire service.
“What better job in the world to do than come to work in a family atmosphere, doing something you really enjoy doing? Doing something that’s never boring? Doing something that you can literally impact people’s lives and even save people’s lives? I mean, there’s nothing better.”
Founder, publisher, and editor of Oklahoma City Free Press. Brett continues to contribute reports and photography to this site as he runs the business.
