Ricky Harris dreamed of becoming a fire fighter when he was a small child, amazed by the fire trucks that sometimes roared through his neighborhood. When he joined the Yazoo City Fire Department, he considered his dream a reality.
“I am truly living my dream,” Harris said. “I have always wanted to be a fireman, nothing ever else. And that dream has become my life.”
And now that dream seems even more brighter as he recently accepted the role of fire chief.
“It has been a dream of mine to be in this position,” Harris said. “I am grateful, and I am really excited about the future.”
Harris joined the Yazoo City Fire Department in 2005. Since then, he has climbed the career ladder at the department, formally accepting his new leadership position last week.
“I think the Board of Mayor and Aldermen have a good board around the table,” he said. “Hopefully, they are willing to work with me to move Yazoo City forward.”
Of course, Harris said he would like to increase manpower within the fire department. But he also has other goals he would like to reach, including improving the city’s fire rating and establishing a successful relationship with county officials. And with the recent addition of new equipment within the fire department, he would also like to host an Open House within the community.
It is a job Harris takes seriously, and it’s a job he has been destined for since birth.
“As a kid, I was amazed by the fire trucks in town,” Harris said. “And for Christmas, I either got a train set or a fire truck. That became my dream to be a fireman.”
The idea of joining the Yazoo City Fire Department first came about under the leadership of Chief B.J. Wright. A position became available, and Harris wanted to take his first shot of achieving his childhood dream.
“I tried and passed everything, but the position was given to someone else,” he said. “But, by the grace of God, a position came back around.”
Harris started first working with the city street department in 1998. In 2005, his dream came true when he joined his hometown fire department.
“I hit every mark,” Harris said. “I’ve been a driver, a captain, a battalion chief, a training officer. In 2015, I was promoted to assistant fire chief.”
Harris has seen and done it all within the fire department, seeing the best of both worlds. He can work with the public, but he still manages the administrative side behind a desk.
“I just loving being out in the public,” Harris said. “I want to give back and help others. And working with this department, we are making the Yazoo City Fire Department one of the best in the state.”
“I am loyal to Yazoo,” he added. “It’s home here. My wife Janet and I also promised that as long as our parents were here, we will be here.”
Yazoo is also the place Harris raised his family, and the memories here are too good to leave.
Aside from his career, Harris is also active in a variety of civic and volunteer duties. He is a member of the 21 Club, the Ebenezer Lodge 206 and the Yazoo County Brotherhood Laymen Association. He also currently serves on the Deacon Board at St. Peter M.B. Church.
His journey has been a dream for him. And he knows who to thank for it.
“God comes first in my life,” he said. “And he has given me a blessed life.”
