Russell Cox recently celebrated his 40th year with the Becker Fire Dept. In honor of International Firefighters’ Day, Patriot staff reached out for an interview about Cox’s years of service. 

Becoming a Firefighter

Cox said he decided to become a firefighter after an incident that happened when he was only 12 or 13. He recalled that he was riding his bike past the fire station when he noticed the fire chief ringing the siren, preparing to respond to a call. The chief saw Cox and hollered for him to come over, showing him how to ring the siren. In those days, the siren ringing was the primary way to let the other firefighters know they needed to respond to a call, since no one had cell phones. Cox continued to operate the siren at the station as the chief prepared the trucks to respond to the fire.

“That was the day I knew I wanted to be a firefighter,” Cox said.

Cox said he was also attracted to the job because, when he first joined, firefighters still rode on the backs of the trucks, and he thought that was a lot of fun.

A Family of Firefighters

Russell Cox’s father was a firefighter when Cox was growing up. Both of his parents were hard workers, with his mother running a business and his father serving as Becker’s mayor for some time. They both always made an effort to give back to their community, and encouraged Cox to do the same. 

Cox’s daughter, Jena, also joined the Becker Fire Dept., taking after her father and grandfather before her.

Deep Bonds

Cox says he highly recommends becoming a firefighter. 

“It’s a great group of people, and we always have each other’s backs,” he said. “They’re your brothers and sisters. And I’m the old man!”

He recalled the day when his sixth child was born. He was born at home, and many of those from the BFD came to help the family. He said he was surrounded by his family members and his friends from the department, and it is one of his favorite memories from his years of service. 

Giving to the Community

Cox said he thinks the most important thing the BFD does for the community is it gives Becker residents peace of mind. According to Cox, Becker has some of the best-trained firefighters in the state, and could hold their own against any other department, even those with full-time positions, rather than with only volunteers. He said that, though many fire stations struggle to find new recruits, Becker has never had an issue finding individuals eager to join the outstanding department. 

Retirement?

Cox won’t be retiring anytime soon. He recently got re-elected as the department’s treasurer, a position which will last for another three years. 

He says he plans to retire from the force whenever he retires from his job at a manufacturing facility in Plymouth. But for now, he’s still working hard to serve his family and his community.