When Auburn Fire Chief John Lankford graduated from Auburn University with a bachelor’s degree in agricultural business and economics, he weighed his options.

He briefly thought about a career in the private sector. But with two years as a student firefighter under his belt, it wasn’t much of a question. His heart was set on the fire service.

With a 30-year career to look back on, Lankford will retire at the end of March and pass the title of fire chief to longtime Auburn firefighter Matt Cain.

Lankford’s interest in firefighting was piqued as a high school student when shadowing career opportunities in California. Originally from Birmingham, Lankford knew he wanted to move back to the South and chose to attend Auburn University — his parents’ alma mater.

His first foray into the fire service was volunteering at Southwest Lee County Fire Department. He learned about Auburn Fire’s student program through friends and enrolled as a student firefighter during his junior year. He soon realized he “was more into being a firefighter than going to school.” The service-based mission and the sense of camaraderie were a perfect fit for him.

“The more I worked, the more I fell in love with the job,” Lankford said. “It became a passion.”

After graduation in 1997, Lankford joined Auburn Fire as a career firefighter and served as chief of the Southwest Lee County Fire Department from ’97-’05. He received an associate’s degree in fire science from Chattahoochee Valley Community College in 1998 and went on to earn numerous technical and leadership certifications from the Alabama State Fire College, Georgia Fire Academy, Department of Justice, National Fire Academy and other industry entities.

Lankford was promoted to lieutenant in 1999 and became the department’s training officer in 2008.

For nearly seven years, Lankford trained over 100 area firefighters — one of the highlights of his career. He coordinated training for both recruits and career firefighters, his favorite of which was live fire training.

He was promoted to deputy chief in 2014 and served under former Fire Chief Lee Lamar until his passing in 2015. Lankford was promoted to chief and spent the last 10 years at the helm of the department.

As chief, Lankford elevated the department’s services with a focus on training, professionalism and equipment and apparatus improvements. During his tenure, Auburn saw exponential population growth, particularly on the north side of town. Fire Station No. 6 opened in 2022, expanding the department’s reach and decreasing response times to north Auburn.

In 2023, the department earned its Advanced Life Support license. This allowed Auburn Fire to better serve the community’s rescue needs by equipping fire trucks with more licensed paramedics, upgrading medical equipment and implementing new procedures.

For over a decade, Lankford advocated for and worked on plans for a dedicated training center in Auburn that would serve as a destination for regional training and collaboration. For years, the department had to travel to use training centers throughout the region. Now, firefighters won’t have to leave the city. The Public Safety Training Center on U.S. Highway 280 recently opened, complete with a drill tower, search and rescue maze simulator, burn building and a 12,000-square-foot multiuse classroom building.

“From his time as a student firefighter through his leadership as fire chief, Chief Lankford has dedicated his time and talents to providing high quality service to the citizens of Auburn while methodically growing the Fire Department and its services to meet the demands of a fast-growing community,” said Auburn City Manager Megan McGowen Crouch. “It’s been an honor to work alongside him, and I have no doubt that he’ll continue making an impact in his next venture.”

After years of shepherding new projects and leading the department through growth and changes, Lankford is looking forward to what’s next. While he’ll retire from the City of Auburn, Lankford plans to pursue a more niche aspect of the fire service – fire cause and origin investigations.

To the Auburn community who put their trust and support in the department under his leadership, Lankford said thank you.

“I appreciate the community’s unwavering support over the years,” Lankford said. “And I want them to know that we have a great group of men and women that are here and ready to continue providing top-tier service whenever they’re needed.”