Excelsior Springs, Mo. – From a young cadet to the Deputy Fire Chief, Camron White has dedicated over 25 years to the Excelsior Springs Fire Department (ESFD).
White began his career in the fire service in 2000, after graduating from high school in Excelsior Springs as a part-time firefighter at the age of 19. However, even before stepping into the role, he noted he had been a member of the cadet explorer program for almost three years before employment.
His interest in becoming a member of the fire department ignited during a routine career day opportunity in high school, when Brad Smith, a fireman at ESFD, ran the cadet program and spoke on behalf of his career. He also said his family carries “some lineage, and one of my great uncles, Paul Ford, was an assistant chief of the department.” Subsequently, this led White to pursue his firefighter one and two certifications at the ESFD, and he never looked back.
After working part-time, White decided to become a full-time employee. Throughout his career, he has witnessed the ESFD’s resilience: “We are a small-town fire department with big town problems. Our demographic, the number of calls we take on, calls that are comparable to departments twice our size. We do it with a smaller staff and limited means, but we still get the job done,” he said.
Most of all, however, what White enjoys about his career has been ESFD’s unique character and commitment to the community. He noted that the fire department is a “modern progressive department with a small-town family feel,” making his career something he not only loves, but something that he is passionate about.
White elaborated, stating that, along with the community, his career grants him the opportunity to help people every day while responding to emergencies that make a difference. He has also been able to be involved in a variety of tasks since taking on his role as Deputy Chief in May 2024.
Under his mentor Scott O’Dell, ESFD’s previous Fire Marshal, White explained that O’Dell was always someone he wanted to emulate, as he was known for being “cool, calm, and collected.” He also noted that O’Dell knew everything there was to know about each building in Excelsior Springs, from construction details to predicting fire behavior.
White recalled following O’Dell around the department and asking him questions as he shadowed him considerably, especially in the last year before O’Dell’s retirement.
“I thought being able to devote myself to this and build on something that he’s already started would be a great way to honor him,” White said.
Even in his final days at ESFD, he added that he learned a vast amount of information from O’Dell, including Federal Emergency Management Agency reporting, scheduling, and fire reporting, as well as pre-planning and code compliance. This led White to eventually apply for the Deputy Chief role, with many thanks attributed to O’Dell through their personal and professional relationship. As he explained, O’Dell was the person he aspired to emulate within the fire service industry.
Now, within his role as Deputy Fire Chief, White also noted that his favorite aspect of his role is the variety and unpredictability of his daily work, saying, “Every day is different and there is no redundancy.”
Other aspects of his job that he enjoys include working on building code compliance, interacting with the community, developing policies and improvements, and responding to emergencies when they occur.
Yet, although he has immensely enjoyed his new role, he said, “I didn’t know how I was going to train or transition to it and adapt, and I love it. I’m rested. I didn’t know how unrested I was working a 24-hour shift and raising my kids. It’s great to go home every night for my children. It’s also great that I am in town and available to respond to any emergency that is of a greater scope than what our on-duty personnel can handle, or if they can even use assistance.”
In addition, throughout his career, White added that one of the best things about his career is the community outreach initiatives he is involved with. He also incorporates his own family into his career and embraces the family of firemen he is surrounded by every day.
Over his time dedicated to the ESFD, he noted the department’s mission within the school district to conduct safety presentations for grades pre-K through fifth grade while educating students on fire safety. To add, the overall goal is to allow children to “have us as their safe space, because if they see us, especially in our scary gear, we want them to run to us and not be scared of us,” he said.
As for high school-aged students, White explained, he has been involved in high school career day presentations while helping with the cadet program recruitment, and that the ESFD as a whole, “tries to be out there” in the community.
Yet, according to White, the best thing about his past 25 years has been the support from his family, including his wife, Traci, and his children, along with each staff member at the ESFD.
“The driving factor of whom I protect has always been why I stayed at ESFD. My entire family is here, for better or worse,” he said, “To children, we are heroes, to the public, we are the last of the good guys. We all take pride and don’t tarnish our reputation.”
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