“I feel like I’m leaving the Dayton Fire Department in the very best position that it perhaps has ever been in,” he recently told the Dayton Daily News. “I know the leadership behind me ... will bring the department to even loftier heights.”
Lykins, 55, first joined the Dayton Fire Department in June 1992 when he was 24 years old.
Lykins rose in the ranks and held most leadership roles in the department. He served as a firefighter, lieutenant, captain, assistant chief and deputy chief.
He was appointed chief in January 2020.
Lykins, 55, said he focused on accountability and ownership and addressing unmet needs.
The fire department had gone about 20 years without a strategic plan, he said, and the agency also did not have a fire apparatus replacement schedule or a facility maintenance and improvement plan.
Lykins spearheaded a five-year strategic plan and a master station and facilities plan and began the process for the fire department to be accredited by the Center for Public Safety Excellence.
Lykins said one of the key roles of the fire chief is to create a “shared vision” of what’s important to the citizens of Dayton.
He said he worked hard to identify and remove barriers that were preventing the department from making improvements. He said one of his priorities was giving firefighters a voice.
“In previous administrations, I think the decision-making occurred there and in every instance I tried to include the entire body in the decision-making process,” he said.
Lykins said the fire department is in very good shape moving forward.
He said, “It’s not because of me — it’s because of the men and women who did the work, who trusted my vision and engaged in the process of change.”
Lykins said the department still faces some challenges related to heavy workloads and high run volumes.
The agency last year had an unprecedented number of fire and EMS runs, which came after a record-setting year for runs in 2022. The fire department currently employs 354 personnel.
Fire personnel have to work long shifts and too often they do not get enough sleep, he said.
Firefighters and medical first-responders also respond to stressful and traumatic situations frequently and this takes a toll on their mental health, Lykins said.
He said fire departments across the country need to find ways to ensure their employees can access professional help when they are struggling to cope with events they see frequently that most people only experience once in their lives, if ever.
Lykins said alternative response teams like the mediation response unit and the crisis response unit hopefully will reduce fire personnel’s call volumes. Officials say a significant number of 911 calls are not emergency situations that require fire or EMS responses.
Lykins was a great leader and a “continuous learner” who frequently attended trainings and certification sessions and programs, said Dayton City Manager Shelley Dickstein.
“Chief Lykins exemplifies the leadership qualities of initiative, of curiosity, of pursuit of excellence,” she said. “Having risen through the ranks, (Lykins) has been a huge champion for the Dayton Fire Department and its members.”
She added, “We are in a better place because of his leadership.”
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