LAWTON Okla_ The City of Lawton's Fire Chief for
over 10 years Bart Hadley is retiring.
He's been with
the department since 1981, serving the Lawton
community, saving lives, and providing selfless leadership. On the January 21st
he'll leave his office in the fire station on "D" avenue and take on
a new role at the Comanche County Courthouse.
Chief Hadley said
being a firefighter wasn't something he dreamt of doing as a child. In fact, he
didn't make the cut right off the bat. It wasn't until one of the other new
recruits failed his physical. The department called Hadley back, he passed his
physical, and the rest is history.
Hadley and his
wife exchanged wedding vows at the station on D years ago. He arrived at the
ceremony like any respectable fireman would: by pole.
During his 31
years, he's braved massive wildfires and countless structure fires.
"The only
one that I can recall from the time the alarm went off all the way through to
the very end," Hadley said, "from getting on the back of the truck and feeling the wind in your face, to
the sirens the lights going, was my very first call back in 1981."
He recalled
stories that bring back gut wrenching memories.
"We responded
to the Oklahoma City
Murrah Building,"
Hadley said. "We got there at night. Things were lit up, and it really seemed
more like a movie set than an emergency scene at the time."
He recalled
stories that ended in saved lives. In fact, the first life he saved was
captured in a photograph. The picture was reluctantly printed because everyone thought
the 18-month-old girl would die, but she didn't.
"That
little girl's a teacher now," Hadley said. "She came to a retirement ceremony
and presented us with a plaque about that particular event. Things like that really
let you know that the job you've been doing matters."
Chief Hadley
said he could not be more grateful for the last 31 years of his life. The
community support, the pride and the camaraderie that comes with being a Lawton firefighter is
something that will burn inside him forever.
"This job
has been a blessing to me and more than I ever could have expected it to be,"
Hadley said. "It really has to do with the caliber of people I worked with coming
up, that mentored me as I was coming through, and that are doing the job. They
are protecting the citizens going out day to day, and they have been since
before I became chief. They continue to do a great job today."
For now, Interim
City Manager Bryan Long has selected Deputy Chief Duane Burk to be the Interim Fire
Chief, there will be no final decision made until the city manager position is
officially filled.
