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The men and women who serve our mission will impact thousands of lives over the course of their careers. They are true public servants.
Additions to Our Family
Additions to Our Family
Each year we welcome new responders to the Overland Park Fire Department family. These new family members typically complete a Recruit Academy to learn the OPFD way. This includes our protocols, operational philosophy and (just as importantly) our culture. We invest significantly in these tactical athletes expecting that they may spend a 20 year career with us! Check out our "OPFD Academy 2025" video to meet our newest members.
Additionally, we welcomed these three new faces to our family this year.
John Burgat
EMS Lieutenant
Erin Rogers
Support Services Tech.
Patrick Sexton
Support Services Tech.
Cadet Program
Cadet Program
In 2025, we also added three individuals for our recently created Cadet Program. The Cadet Program is a recruiting tool designed to get candidates onboarded while they're completing their educational requirements for full-time employment. Cadets work 20 hours a week and are assigned to our Support Services Division. These are designed to be short term positions that allow candidates to get to know our department, while we get to know them. The goal is to have them ready for the next hiring process.
This is just one of the creative ways we're working to capture the best candidates in a competitive job market. Does the Cadet Program work? Two of our most recent hires came through the cadet program!
Tommy Caul
Wesley Damron
Current Cadet Class 3 (late 2025)
Matt Cleaver
Ethan Sharp
Carson Sutherland
See what the Cadet Program is all about
We're always looking for amazing people to join our team and help serve our mission. If you want to know more about employment opportunities with the Overland Park Fire Department, visit us at JoinOPFD .
Fond Farewells
Fond Farewells
First responders will tell you it's not a job, but a calling. Because of this, many enjoy long careers with the OPFD. In 2025, we said goodbye to 6 family members with a combined 151 years of service! It would be impossible to calculate the number of lives they impacted in the course of their duties and we owe each of them a debt of gratitude.
Retirements
Retirements
Rick Cooper
Support Services 10 yrs. service
Polly Copple
EMS Lt. 23 yrs. service
Don Doane
Captain 33 yrs. service
Doug Hall
Captain 30 yrs. service
Dan Rice
Firefighter 27 yrs. service
Kent Saturday
Captain 28 yrs. service
One For The Archives
One For The Archives
Before departing, one of our retirees shared his story and some words of wisdom. Watch his interview to better understand the caliber of people who wear the Overland Park Fire Department patch.
We're always looking for amazing people to join our team and help serve our mission. If you want to know more about employment opportunities with the Overland Park Fire Department, visit us at JoinOPFD .
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