TULSA, Okla. — The Tulsa Fire Museum recognized Tulsa Fire Station 15 for 75 years of service on Sunday.
Station 15 went into service on June 2, 1949.
Retirees attended the event to share stories and the history of station with the newer active members.
FOX23 spoke with Lieutenant Craig Deerinwater with the Tulsa Fire Department who is on the Executive Board at the Tulsa Fire Museum.
He said they came up with this idea when they found the first log book to Station 15, which had the date June 2, 1949 on the cover.
Deerinwater said this is a special milestone for not just Station 15, but for the Tulsa Fire Department and for the City of Tulsa.
“You can see the growth of the City has expanded north, south, and east,” he said. “In 1949, this was the earliest station built, and as of today we’ve got 30 stations across the City of Tulsa.”
FOX23 also spoke with Tallon Borror who has been a firefighter with the Tulsa Fire Department for two years, both spent working at Station 15.
“It’s a lot smaller, so very tight-knit,” Borror said. “Feels like a family when you’re here, you treat everyone as family. So far everyone has been really nice to me, I’ve learned a lot and meet some really good people.”
Borror said there’s a lot of history at Station 15, which you can’t see at the newer stations.
“It’s cool to learn and hear stories, hear how it used to be and how it is now,” he said.
Deerinwater said events like this are a great way to keep retirees engaged with the Tulsa Fire Department.
“They’re still a part of this department even through they’re retired,” he said.
He said last year, Station 15 responded to over 3,000 calls.
“Nowadays, we show up to the station, we’re getting two calls within that first hour,” said Deerinwater.
Deerinwater said a station with so much history is important to the community because people know it’s something they can count on.
“It’s somewhere that they can trust that these members that are being housed in this station for the past 75 years, they know they can count on them,” he said. “Anytime they call, they’re going to be here within four minutes or less. You just don’t get that kind of service anymore.”