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serving our community<br />
Ben Warren<br />
brandon Fire Department<br />
Why did you decide to become a fireman?<br />
I wasn’t so much introduced to the fire service.<br />
Instead, I was completely immersed in it from birth.<br />
I watched my father enjoy a long career with the<br />
Mississippi State Fire Academy and even today see<br />
him continue serving his community as a volunteer<br />
fire fighter in Rankin County. I grew up around all the<br />
trappings of firefighting and learned from some of<br />
the best in the business even before my first day on<br />
the job. While other vocations may have caught my<br />
interest at some point, becoming a fire fighter proved<br />
to be what was really in my heart.<br />
How long have you been with the <strong>Brandon</strong><br />
fire department?<br />
While it seems like yesterday when I first started, I’m<br />
now approaching my thirtieth year in the fire service.<br />
After moving back to Mississippi, I joined <strong>Brandon</strong> as<br />
a reserve fire fighter in 2005. I was appointed to a<br />
full-time position within the department’s Division of<br />
Fire and Life Safety in 2014.<br />
What do you enjoy most about your typical<br />
day as a fireman?<br />
I’m blessed to share my days with a team of incredible<br />
firefighters that span all three of our 24-hour shifts.<br />
These dedicated crews help make every day enjoyable<br />
when we connect with our customers. A typical day<br />
may start with teaching a group of kindergarten<br />
children and end with a visit to a neighborhood<br />
association or church group. In between is usually<br />
a combination of research, planning, and program<br />
development. A really great day is one where we see<br />
how our work has paid off and a person is kept safe<br />
from fire or some other disaster.<br />
What is the toughest thing you have<br />
experienced as a fireman?<br />
Early in my career, I had a wise captain tell me that<br />
once I had kids of my own, seeing another child hurt<br />
would cause a “different” kind of pain within. He was<br />
right. While my desire to help didn’t change after<br />
becoming a parent, the feelings I experienced when<br />
a child was involved have left behind some rather<br />
difficult memories. Many of us have experienced<br />
things that can never be fully understood and we can<br />
really only share them in the context of someone<br />
who’s been there with us. Some days, this can be a<br />
really tough job.<br />
Tell us about your family.<br />
I’ve been married for nearly twenty-five years to the<br />
love of my life and the girl who got me through college<br />
algebra. Elizabeth (a <strong>Brandon</strong> native) and I have lived<br />
in several other states but were fortunate to find our<br />
way back home to Mississippi. We have two children;<br />
Emily, our newest college student who has a heart<br />
the size of Texas for any stray animal and Braden, our<br />
7th grader who is looking for his own ways to save<br />
the world. My family has always been there for me<br />
and knows how to keep me focused on the things<br />
that are the most important in life.<br />
What do you consider your greatest<br />
achievement/accomplishment and why?<br />
It’s a humbling moment when considering this<br />
question. I can’t help but think of all those that helped<br />
me achieve so much. To cite just one event, it would<br />
have to be the day back in September 1986 when I<br />
graduated from basic firefighting school at Chanute<br />
Air Force Base in Rantoul, Illinois. Had it not been for<br />
that single accomplishment, I would have missed out<br />
on an incredible fire service career and wouldn’t have<br />
the job I enjoy today.<br />
Who is someone you admire and why?<br />
There are 343 “someones” that I not only admire but<br />
also give my never-ending respect to. These are my<br />
fellow fire fighters that on September 11, 2001<br />
decided not to run from a catastrophe but instead,<br />
charged right into the heart of it to save as many lives<br />
a possible. They chose to give of themselves and set<br />
the ultimate example of what this job can require.<br />
There’s a reason they’re given the title New York’s<br />
bravest. They’ve earned it.<br />
What is your favorite holiday and why?<br />
My favorite holiday is Christmas. Even with all of the<br />
hustle and bustle, there comes a moment of stillness<br />
when I think about the birth of Jesus Christ and what<br />
that means in my life. For me, Christmas is a time of<br />
blessings and I always look forward to doing the<br />
things that seem to bring my friends and family closer.<br />
What is your favorite childhood memory?<br />
Before Mississippi built a fire academy, a small group<br />
of instructors traveled around the state with some<br />
basic equipment and taught classes in local fire<br />
stations. Summers were the best, as our family would<br />
accompany my father on trips to these fire schools<br />
and conferences. I’d say mile-for-mile, I was probably<br />
one of the most well-traveled kids in the state. My<br />
favorite childhood memory is simply the time I spent<br />
traveling with my family and getting to discover some<br />
of Mississippi’s hidden treasures.<br />
What is the biggest mistake you think<br />
young people make today?<br />
It seems that some young people never really<br />
consider the possible consequences of their actions.<br />
So many times, we see where this lack of forethought<br />
ends in tragedy. I can say that one of the biggest<br />
mistakes a youngster can make is living with the false<br />
belief that they are indestructible. Human life is too<br />
precious just to be wasted on a single bad decision.<br />
Continued on page 72<br />
46 • <strong>Winter</strong> <strong>2015</strong>
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