After two decades of service, Jason Buckles of Glendale will be retiring from the Elizabethtown Fire Department next month. Throughout his tenure at the department, Buckles’ titles have included firefighter/engineer and emergency medical first responder.
For Buckles, firefighting is a family affair. He said his father, William Buckles, retired from the Fort Knox Fire Department as an assistant chief and some of his uncles and cousins also worked for the department.
“I used to go with dad sometimes and hang out with the guys,” Buckles said.
Buckles’ journey in firefighting began when he was 16, volunteering for the Glendale Volunteer Fire Department as a junior firefighter. A graduate of Central Hardin High School, Buckles studied at Eastern Kentucky University and said he would volunteer at the department whenever he was home.