LaFAYETTE — Even though he has only been a member of the LaFayette Fire Department for the past six months, Cody Hope been a firefighter for the past decade.

Hope started out in Lanett and spent eight years there before moving to East Alabama for a year and a half.

“I love my job and what I do,” he said. “I love helping people. We get some calls that are rougher than others. Some are normal and others really hit home.”

Hope has been exposed to the fire department his entire life, with his father being a retired firefighter out of Opelika.

“I used to see him at the station when I was a kid,” he said.

Later, when Hope was in high school, he got involved with a volunteer fire department in Lanett. That was when something happened.

“Some openings [with the Lanett Fire Department] came open and the Fire Chief at the time asked if I wanted a job,” Hope said. “That’s how I got started.”

Since then, he has worked hard and enjoys his time at the station.

“I work with some great guys,” Hope said. “The station is your home.”

A normal day begins with the crew eating breakfast followed by cleaning the station and checking over the equipment. They also clean the vehicles fairly often.

“Then we get to sit back and relax,” Hope said with a laugh.

The firefighters also have to go on calls. Hope said that on average they get about 30-40 calls in a week.

“Mostly every call is EMS related,” he said. “Fires don’t happen very often.”

One of the things Hope said he liked the most is the visits to the stations.

“Every Wednesday we get a visit from the LaFayette First Baptist Church,” he said. “They bring kids over to visit and bring sweets and goodies. We like when people visit.”

Hope recalled the station used to have a pole that kids enjoyed sliding down.

“Now they want to get behind the wheel of the fire truck,” he said. “Their face lights up with a big smile. They love it.”

When not at work, Hope spends his time at home with his wife, Amber, and three children: 11-year-old Braylon Carter, 8-year-old Ansley Carter and 4-year-old Lilly Hope.

The family is very supportive of his work and, according to Hope, the kids are excited anytime they visit.

“Amber knows I enjoy it but every now and then I tell her stories and it worries her,” he said.

Hope added he is also a fan of hunting, which he does with his son.

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