Wiggins Fire Chief Steven Purvis on Staffing and Training
Wiggins Fire Chief Steven Purvis discusses fire department staffing, volunteer firefighters, local training, smoke alarms and public safety growth in Stone County.
Most residents see the Wiggins Fire Department when the trucks roll out.
They hear the sirens, see the lights or notice the scene if it slows traffic or happens close to home. What they may not see is the work that happens before and after those calls: training, maintenance, community outreach, mutual aid, volunteer support and the quiet check-ins that come after a difficult night.
For Wiggins Fire Chief Steven Purvis, the work is not limited to office hours.
“It’s a 24/7 job,” Purvis said during a recent interview at the fire station.
Purvis became fire chief in 2023 after years with the department. He is a second-generation firefighter whose father served as a volunteer firefighter in Wiggins for about 10 years before being elected to the Board of Aldermen.
“I grew up in the fire service,” Purvis said.
He started with the Wiggins Fire Department as a volunteer when he turned 18. After three years, he was hired full time. Now, as chief, he is responsible not only for emergency response, but for helping prepare the department for future growth in Wiggins and Stone County.
A department built on paid staff and volunteers
Purvis said one of his long-term priorities is maintaining the department’s volunteer foundation.
“I don’t think there’s a full function of fire department without them,” he said.
Wiggins has paid firefighters, but Purvis said the city does not have the resources to operate as a fully paid department. Volunteers remain part of how fire protection works locally.
His goal is to support that structure while increasing staffing where possible. Right now, he said the department is close to having three people per shift working 24 hours a day. He would like to see that grow to four people per shift.
That kind of staffing matters as Wiggins continues to grow.
Purvis said the current fire station is well-centered for the city as it exists today. But with commercial and traffic growth around Highway 49, the school area and the Walmart corridor, future needs may change.
“If the city were to expand any, that might mean the possibility of adding another station,” he said.
For now, he said, the department is watching growth and planning ahead.
Training close to home
One of the biggest changes since Purvis became chief has been the use of the old 911 building.
The building had been sitting unused, Purvis said. After he became chief, the department began working on it and turned it into a space that can be used for training and classes.
The room can seat about 20 people, possibly more if needed. It has already been used for multi-jurisdictional training with Stone County responders, including a first responder class.
That matters in a rural county where travel time can affect whether someone is able to attend training. If firefighters can train locally, they are more likely to participate while staying closer to their station and community.
The space has also been used by other emergency partners. Purvis said the private fire department connected to Anduril recently used the building for orientation. He described that department as another potential mutual aid resource for Stone County.
In small communities, emergency response often depends on more than one department. Firefighters, law enforcement, dispatchers, EMS, emergency management, search and rescue teams and neighboring departments all become part of the same public safety network.
Recent Wiggins Fire Department posts have shown that network in action. The department has highlighted mutual aid responses, search and rescue training at Flint Creek, dispatchers serving Wiggins and Stone County, and behind-the-scenes maintenance work on communication equipment.
Purvis said cooperation between agencies is important.
“We’re all on the same team,” he said. “We all want the same goal.”
A broader role in South Mississippi fire service
Purvis’ role has also expanded beyond the Wiggins Fire Department.
He now serves as deputy fire coordinator for Stone County and Southern Vice President of the Mississippi Fire Fighters’ Association, representing firefighters in Hancock, Harrison, Jackson, George, Stone and Pearl River counties.
According to the Mississippi Fire Fighters’ Association, Purvis has 18 years of fire service experience. He also serves as an adjunct instructor with the Mississippi State Fire Academy, teaching pipeline classes and helping prepare future firefighters.
His work reflects a larger concern he raised during the interview: strengthening the connection between career and volunteer firefighters, improving recruitment and retention, and making training more accessible.
For Stone County, that work is not abstract. Volunteer departments remain a critical part of fire protection in rural areas, and coordination between departments has long been part of how emergency response functions across the county.
At times, conversations about how that coordination should look, and how responsibilities are shared between city and county agencies, can draw differing perspectives. Purvis acknowledged that dynamic, but said his approach is centered on collaboration and communication.
“We’re all moving the county forward,” he said.
The station as a working home
The Wiggins fire station itself is nearly 50 years old, Purvis said.
It has been remodeled several times, including a major remodel after Hurricane Katrina. Much of that work was done by firefighters themselves. By doing the labor in-house, they saved money and were able to invest in materials that have held up over time.
That includes the kitchen area, which Purvis said the department takes pride in.
“Fire departments and kitchens go hand in hand,” he said.
The station is more than a building that stores trucks. Firefighters spend long shifts there. They eat there, rest there, train there and return there after calls.
Recent posts from the department have shown community members bringing meals and drinks to firefighters during long, hot and difficult days. After the June storms and flooding, Purvis publicly thanked local agencies, his firefighters, his wife and the community for showing up during recovery.
“We are tired, and we are still very much in recovery mode,” Purvis wrote in a public post from the department. “But we are blessed beyond measure and I am truly grateful for the support we have received along the way.”
That kind of support matters, Purvis said.
A meal, a drink, a kind word or a wave may seem small from the outside. For first responders coming off difficult calls or long recovery work, small acts can carry weight.
The call does not always end when the truck returns
Purvis said one of the hardest parts of becoming chief has been learning how to balance the job with family life.
His children are still young, and he said it can be difficult to leave when they want him to stay home. At the same time, he wants to stay involved and aware of what is happening in the department.
His radio stays on.
After one difficult call, Purvis said he called the firefighters after they cleared the scene. It was about 2:30 a.m.
He was checking on them.
That part of fire service is often invisible to the public. The trucks may return to the station, but the people who answered the call may still be carrying what they saw.
Purvis spoke openly about the emotional, psychological and physical toll of the work. He said he wants to be present for his family while also making sure his firefighters are supported.
“It’s a balance,” he said. “You want to be there for your family, but you also want to make sure your people are taken care of.”
Ruby, Junior Fire Academy and reaching the next generation
Community outreach has become a visible part of the department’s work.
Purvis and his wife, Stephanie, helped launch the Wiggins Junior Fire Academy, a two-day program that teaches children about fire safety, community service and teamwork. Recent classes have toured the station, explored fire trucks and equipment, learned how to use a fire extinguisher and fire hose, gone through a training box maze and participated in service projects at local parks and fields.
The program has also brought in help from other departments, including Anduril Fire Department volunteers who assisted with safety and park cleanup during one academy day.
Purvis said the academy takes planning, time and enough adults to keep children safe while the department remains ready to respond to calls.
“If somebody wants to donate time, that’s always,” Purvis said. “If you can help out, if you’re good with kids, definitely reach out to me or my wife.”
The department’s outreach also includes Ruby to the Rescue, the department’s Dalmatian.
Purvis said he had always wanted a Dalmatian, and his wife helped make that idea happen. Ruby has become part of the department’s public presence and a comfort inside the station.
When firefighters return from a difficult call, Ruby often helps shift the mood.
“She comes into a room and kind of changes the whole atmosphere,” Purvis said.
Ruby has also helped the department connect with children and teenagers, including young people who follow her online.
Smoke alarms remain a priority
Looking ahead, Purvis said one of the department’s next priorities is another push to get smoke detectors into homes.
He said the department expects to receive another large batch of smoke detectors from the state, likely later in the summer or fall. Once they are available, Wiggins Fire Department will offer them free to the community and install them.
If residents buy their own smoke alarms, Purvis said the department can also help install those.
Smoke alarms are a simple safety measure, but Purvis said they remain one of the most important.
Mississippi continues to rank high in fire deaths per capita, he said. He recalled state numbers from last year showing many fire deaths occurred in homes without working smoke alarms.
“You think in your mind, if they had a smoke alarm that worked, could they have gotten out?” he said.
The department also visits schools throughout October for fire prevention education. Purvis said Wiggins Fire Department works with elementary schools and preschools across the county and would like to continue building programs that reach middle and high school students, too.
Preparing for what comes next
Purvis said one of his larger long-term goals is a training facility that could serve both fire and police.
He described the possibility of a joint public safety complex or training facility that could benefit Wiggins and volunteer fire departments throughout Stone County. Funding would be a challenge, he said, but state or federal opportunities may help if the right one becomes available.
The need is practical. Emergency responders train constantly, and a shared local facility would make that training easier and more consistent.
For Wiggins, the fire department’s future is tied to more than trucks and equipment.
It is tied to staffing, volunteers, training, dispatchers, mutual aid, smoke alarms, school outreach, family support and community trust.
Most residents may only notice the department when there is an emergency. But the work of fire protection is happening long before the call comes in.
It is happening in training rooms, school visits, kitchens, radio traffic, maintenance work, volunteer recruitment and quiet phone calls after difficult nights.
And in Wiggins, that work is being done close to home.
How can Wiggins residents get help with smoke alarms?
Purvis said the Wiggins Fire Department expects to receive more smoke detectors from the state later this summer or fall. Once available, the department will offer them free to the community and install them. Residents who buy their own smoke alarms may also contact the department for help with installation.
How can residents support the Wiggins Fire Department?
Residents can support the department by volunteering when opportunities are available, helping with community programs such as the Wiggins Junior Fire Academy, checking smoke alarms at home, sharing public safety information and continuing to support firefighters during long calls, storms and recovery efforts.