My name is Megan Beecher-Kennison and I’m the postmaster for Ozona, a small town in the Texas Hill Country.
Since 2022, I’ve also been a volunteer firefighter for the community of Carlsbad, TX.
A lot of volunteer fire work is trial by fire — no pun intended. There is training on weekends, but mostly you learn as you go from your superiors.
I might be called out overnight and need to respond on a second’s notice. I’ve seen action and I’ve put out flames.
My volunteer work and my work as a postmaster have a lot in common, especially in the sense that you have to take the time for people — no matter how busy or stressful a situation.
Being there for people when they need someone the most is very rewarding.
Of course, there’s also the service aspect. I want my children — I have three sons — to learn the “service before self” mentality.
My family and I moved to Carlsbad a little over a year ago, and I wanted to be involved in something during my free time. Being both a postmaster and a volunteer firefighter would not be possible without the support of my wife, Stepheny, and the support of my sons, Nicholas, Zechariah and Jakolby.
I always thought of being a firefighter while I was growing up. I’m only 5 feet tall — I’m tiny — but I don’t feel small on the inside. I wanted to do big things, be a leader. Luckily, they don’t care about your size as a volunteer!
“Off the Clock,” a column on Postal Service employees and their after-hours pursuits, appears regularly in Link.
