If you told William Sappington a year ago that he would give up a career in the oil and gas industry, he would never have believed you.
Now, the 25-year-old finds himself in a position he never would never thought possible: serving as a member of the West Odessa Volunteer Fire Department while working towards becoming a licensed first responder.
“I’ve always enjoyed helping other people, and that started at a young age,” Sappington said. “I never had the time to make a full-time commitment to any organization to assist in the way that I’ve been able to here, so joining this department and being there firsthand, helping out people in their times of need, has been a newfound passion of mine.”
A native of southwest Oklahoma, Sappington worked as a petroleum geologist for five years before volunteering with the fire department.
He has been enjoying the work so much, he is now a full-time volunteer, working toward becoming a certified first responder with hopes of finding a full-time job in the field and continuing his work as a volunteer with West Odessa during his off time.
“I had a good career with a great company, and I still have a great relationship with them, and they know that I pursued this out of the passion that I have for this area,” Sappington said. “I never would have seen myself leaving that job to become a first responder full-time.”
Founded in 1978, members of the West Odessa Volunteer Fire Department responded to 794 total calls for fires and vehicle accidents in 2023, with most calls covering the area west of Loop 302 and north of Interstate 20.
Sappington had a chance to use his skills back home after receiving calls from family.
On April 27, tornadoes killed four people, injured hundreds and left thousands without power in Oklahoma.
Getting permission from volunteer fire department Chief Austin Harden, Sappington was able to take a unit to Oklahoma and assist with debris removal and other tasks as needed, calling the event some of the worst damage he’s seen after a tornado.
“There were some homes that were just completely wiped away from their foundations and then there were others that had severe damage and their structure was still intact,” Sappington said.
Members of the West Odessa Volunteer Fire Department have also responded to other areas outside West Odessa, such as when eight members of the department went to the Panhandle to assist in battling the Smokehouse Creek and Windy Deuce fires.
“The members of the West Odessa Volunteer Fire Department are a very passionate, dedicated group of men and women that love nothing more than helping their neighbor, whether that be local, out of town, or even out of state,” said Austin Harden, chief of the volunteer fire department.
Calling the work rewarding, Sappington said he looks forward to continuing his work in West Odessa.
“The feeling you get after you’ve made a direct effort to assist in saving somebody’s life, or being able to save somebody’s property and personal belongings, or just being there to support somebody on what’s often the worst day of their lives … that you get from assisting is unlike any other that I’ve had prior to being with an agency,” he said.
