An EMT and Cherokee Nation citizen who helped save a police officer’s life in 2021 is following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather to become a Tulsa firefighter.
“Failure for me is not an option,” said Christian Kaiser, 21, of Kansas, Okla. “The Tulsa Fire Department, to me, is critical. It’s all I’ve ever wanted out of life. This is make or break.”
The family’s firefighting legacy began on Kaiser’s Cherokee side with his grandfather, who spent 20 years with the Tulsa Fire Department before retiring as a captain.
“Then my dad (Kelly), he grew up just right there in my grandpa’s fire boots,” Kaiser said. “He’s fulfilled all his goals, dreams and hopes with the fire department. Now it’s become a family deal. It runs in the blood. It’s really a surreal feeling for me because my entire life has been building up to this moment here when the academy starts.”