Fulton's new fire chief and those under his command have felt the call to save lives.
"It's not a profession you get rich in," said Chief Todd Farley, of the Fulton Fire Department. "When you ask a firefighter why, it's a calling. When you're running into a burning building, either you're crazy or you are called."
Farley, who became chief in Fulton four months ago, came from Blue Springs, near Kansas City. He said the change has been a breath of fresh air.
"It's a small community. Learning about the community was a priority," he said. "It's been refreshing coming from a larger city where you don't have that. We really do have a hometown feeling here."
The change from a larger to smaller community also presents challenging opportunities, Farley said.
"Going from a fire where I'm used to having five companies to a fire where I have five firefighters - you have to tactically rethink what you do," he said.
Hearing the call
The call to dedicate his career to saving lives came when Farley, as a young man, was drawn to the excitement of being a firefighter. However, he quickly learned there is more to it than adrenaline.
"Through some good mentors, I learned that it's about more than excitement," he said. "Often times we are the last ones to call, and there's no other options. It's rewarding when you think about it like that."
David Miller, a firefighter on Farley's crew, said his call to serve came when he finished his military service and was looking for a way to continue helping the community.
"I was in the Marine Corps for four years, and I volunteered with the department and loved it," he said.
Farley said while every firefighter may hear the call in a different way, all firefighters share two things: pride and sacrifice.
"There's a lot of pride in the work that these men and women do. They're working hard every day," he said. "There's a lot of sacrifice to being a career firefighter."
The pride the Fulton Fire Department has in their work was apparent on his first day as fire chief.
"Internally, we have people that are dedicated to this job and this community. That's something that from day one was evident," he added.
A new fire chief
According to Farley, leadership changes at a fire department are often accompanied by a period of assessing and readjusting.
"It's been a learning opportunity for me. Coming from a department with 110 firefighters to a staff of 24, I've had to readjust how we face issues," he said. "It takes time. You don't want to come in as a new guy and change things. You need to assess."
Not many big changes have been made because he has been primarily observing the crew, Farley said. However, the small changes have been received warmly, and the department is actively involved in implementing safer and up-to-date practices.
"There's been a few things we have made changes on. It's all about safety - these guys are taking that and running with it," he said. "We've done quite a bit of training for best practices and they are following it. They enjoy training and they train every day."
Although Farley intends to make changes in the future, he said the department was in a good place before he came, and he hopes to continue improving.
"I'm proud of these guys. They were doing well before I got here, and they enjoy doing what they do. You can tell there's a lot of pride," he said.
Aside from saving lives and preserving structures, Farley said he has enjoyed actively participating in the community.
"I've been here four months and am thoroughly enjoying myself. It's a smaller department, which means the fire chief has to be more front and center. It's been really enjoyable," he said. "I like being involved with the community, and the community needs to see their fire department. The firefighters enjoy doing that kind of stuff."
This story is the first in a series of three reporter Adam Brake is writing about the Fulton Fire Department. The second story will appear in Thursday's edition.