Lexington Fire Chief Jason Wells accepted the proclamation on behalf of the department, which has served Fayette County for more than 150 years and ranks among the top 10 departments in the country. Wells said the scope of their work goes far beyond putting out fires.
"Three-quarters of our calls are not fire-related; they may be medical-related, they may be vehicle collisions, they may be things like technical rescues or hazardous materials situations," Wells said. "Our people are really trained in multiple disciplines and able to respond to any emergencies that come up."
And Wells' love for the job started at an early age and runs in the family. His father was a firefighter.
"As a little kid, all I ever wanted to do was to be a firefighter, and that was just the coolest job in the world, I thought," said Wells with a grin. "As I grew older, I thought that I was going to take a different path, and I envisioned myself doing something completely different. But then I sort of hit that quarter-life crisis where I felt like I needed to do something that was meaningful. I wanted to do something that gave back, and so I found myself right back in the fire service."
The Lexington Fire Department is the largest in Kentucky, with 24 stations and more than 600 personnel, providing fire and EMS services.
