The Lebanon Fire Department's new Deputy Chief will focus on training for firefighters.
Andy Woody, a native of the Richland area, said he has an extensive background in training, and education will be one of his primary responsibilities.
“One of my main charges is going to be to develop proactive, and relevant training programs for the entire department facility,” he said.
He said the department has training guidelines for every employee.
“Those training requirements change based on their specific rank and job duties, so creating training plans for those individuals in their current role, while also preparing them for future roles are some of the things that I'll be working on,” he said. “That's from the recruit firefighter that has no training at all to a senior captain who has to maintain hours and maintain currency and relevancy with job duties, so that’s all of the programs related to that, whether it's pulling hose lines off a fire truck or setting a ladder or starting IVs which our paramedics do, medication, dosages, those things all paramedics do, writing reports.”
Woody said the fire department is there to help people when they are facing crisis situations.
“People typically call 911 when something's wrong. People deal with stress in different ways, and we help them. It's really an honor that whenever people don't know what to do, they call us for help,” he said.
Woody grew up in the Hazelgreen and Richland area and graduated from Richland High School.
He said he began his career by volunteering with the Hazelgreen Fire Protection District.
“I’ve just been in and around the fire service my entire life,” he said.
“He was a coordinator also for the University of Missouri,” he said. “So he knew a lot of the fire departments around here.”
Andy Woody’s firefighter career has included stints with the Columbia, Mo. Department. His wife is from Searcy, Ark. and he also worked in Arkansas where he served as director of the Arkansas Fire Academy.
After working at various fire departments, Woody said it was good to come back to the area where he grew up.
“It’s truly a homecoming,” he said. “We had the opportunity to be closer to our family and be a part of and help a department and a community where I grew up. It’s just really nice to get back to the area and start reconnecting with some people I haven't seen in a long time. It seems like everywhere I go I see someone I went to school with.”
Woody noted that the department offers some services to the community, including residential fire surveys, emergency medical service and smoke alarm programs.
“Injuries and fatalities occur in houses that don't have working smoke alarms and the fire department will provide and install a smoke alarm,” he said.
Woody said his job varies from day to day.
“My favorite part of the job is probably the unpredictability of it. It’s it's very rare that any of us are going to have two days that are the same. Shortly after coming in yesterday afternoon, we rescued people from an elevator you know, that wasn't what I had planned yesterday afternoon.”
He said he appreciates the support shown by the Lebanon community.
“They seem very supportive, not only the city of Lebanon, but beyond that as well. I think I think the fire departments in these areas are very community oriented, and that's our goal, to be a part of the community, fill some roles that aren't always emergency related, just be there for people,” he said.
