Owen Burkhead steps into a century of family firefighting tradition

By BARBARA ANN HORTON

Staff Writer

Owen Burkhead plans to be the fourth generation of his family to have a career as a firefighter. The Poplar Bluff Fire Department Memorial Scholarship will now help make that possible. Burkhead is its third recipient.

Since 1959, there has only been about three years that somebody in Owen Burkhead’s family hasn’t worked for the Poplar Bluff Fire Department.

His great-grandfather Kenneth Morris started with PBFD on Nov. 2, 1959. He retired as a captain Oct. 29, 1982.

His grandfather Sam Parks joined the PBFD on April 15, 1985, and retired as assistant chief Oct. 3, 2003.

His dad Steven Burkhead was hired as a firefighter with the department May 9, 2004, and is currently a captain at Station 3 on C Shift.

“The fire service has always been important to me and I would like to continue the legacy and serve the community,” said Burkhead, who is related to Morris and Parks through his mother, Laurie Burkhead’s, side of the family.

In presenting the scholarship, Poplar Bluff Fire Chief Mike Moffitt said, “I knew Kenneth, his great-grandfather, and I was really good friends with his grandfather, Sam. I’ve known Steve since high school, so I’ve had a good relationship with that whole family for almost my entire life. I’m really happy we can award this scholarship to Owen and hope he has a long and fulfilling career in the fire service.”

Eager to work in his chosen profession, Burkhead graduated early from Poplar Bluff High School in December 2024. He starts classes Tuesday at Three Rivers College’s fire training program.

Burkhead knew the classes were going to start in the spring semester and his dad said, “He was anxious to get going on his career.”

Burkhead explained applying for and receiving the scholarship would be “a really good opportunity for my education,”

Laurie Burkhead said, while she’s speechless, “I know that my grandpa and my dad would be very excited for him and very honored for him to continue the legacy of being a fireman.”

Steven Burkhead is also proud of his son.

“I’m excited for this because I also teach at the academy every year, this is going to be toward the end of my career and the end of my teaching,” Steven Burkhead said. “I get to push him through the academy. It might be a little rougher on him than it is most of the other students.”

When he graduates from the academy, Burkhead is planning to study emergency medical services training to become an emergency medical technicians. Most fire departments in Missouri require firefighters to become EMTs.

Burkhead will be just shy of 21 when he graduates.

“He might as well go ahead and jump straight into EMT training,” his dad said.

Burkhead will not be able to continue the family tradition of working with the Poplar Bluff department until his dad retires in 2027.

Burkhead’s sister Emilie Stoutt has worked as an emergency medical services first responder and spent five years as a dispatcher for Butler County EMS. She is now working in the Butler County EMS billing department.

Burkhead’s parents are Laurie Burkhead and Steven and Jamie Burkhead.