12th annual Destry Horton Fire School, hosted in Lawton

LAWTON, Okla. (KSWO) - On behalf of deceased firefighter Destry Horton, firefighters from across the state of Oklahoma learned how to battle fires and medical emergencies in his honor.

Training officer Mark Huff has dedicated forty-five years of service and he says the job involves far more than just fighting fires.

“Firefighters respond to everything, no one ever calls when something went right always calls when something went wrong and firefighters respond to any time of emergency it doesn’t matter what it is,” Huff said.

The courses provided hands-on experience ranging from basic to advanced wildlife and medical training.

“There’s always new people coming in, so we always have to keep the new people trained but also keep the people that have been around for a while keep them trained up on the latest skills that are available,” Huff said.

Fire captain Eric Shady is one firefighter who has been attending the training for years and there’s a reason why he keeps returning.

“You always need to strive and improve yourself you can’t ever say I’m already good you just have to continue to improve yourself,” Shady said.

Shady says not only does the long weekend allow you to connect with others, but it can also play a crucial role within your career.

“You got to keep learning if you don’t continue to learn and expose yourself to no ideas or to new skills you become stagnant in the fire service and you don’t contribute to your citizens or your department,” Shady said.

New Courses are added each year to ensure those who return annually are not repeating the same classes.

If you missed out, don’t worry, the O-S-U fire training service always offers training to individual departments.

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