By Suzie rd
Enid News & Eagle
ENID, Okla. — John Ridge is a firefighter. He also is commander of the Enid Fire Department Honor Guard.
He said he loves being a firefighter and even more so, being in the honor guard.
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“It’s an honor to get to represent the Enid Fire Department at a ceremony or a funeral,” Ridge said. “Presenting the colors is always special.”
Other firefighters currently on the honor guard are Jason Stephan, Brian Sallee, Carlos Cornejo, Devan McKee, Angel Chavez, Korbin Silvers and Trey Yeoman.
About six to eight times a year, the honor guard will present the colors at an event. In June, the honor guard presented the colors at a meeting of the Enid Rotary Club.
The Rotary was one of the groups that gave money so the National Honor Guard Academy could send an instructor to Enid to teach military type honors for police, fire and EMS personnel.
“We do this to show honor to our flag and country,” Ridge said. “We want the ceremony to go well so we practice.”
On Wednesday, July 9, 2025, Silvers, McKee, Stephan and Cornejo met with Ridge to practice flag folding.
It was the first day on the honor guard for Silvers.
“Commander Ridge asked me, and I like the idea of presenting the colors as an honor at a funeral,” Silvers said.
He started as a firefighter with the Fairmont Fire Department before coming to Enid.
Stephan has been an Enid firefighter for 11 years and has been part of the honor guard for three years.
“I remember when my grandfathers died and they had military honors,” Stephan said. “They were veterans and I thought folding the flag was really cool.”
Both McKee and Cornejo also agreed to be in the honor guard with Ridge. Ridge said he remembered fighting his first fire when he was about 10 or 11 years old.
“Some coals in the back yard started a fire and it was the first fire I ever put out before the fire trucks got there,” he said. “It must have made an impression on me.”
Ridge graduated from Enid High School and went to Northwestern Oklahoma State University. He loved coaching and sports, but got a paramedic license instead, which led to EFD in 2015. He added the honor guard in 2016. Capt. Todd Hays asked him to join the squad and later take on the responsibility of commander.
“I didn’t know much about it but very quickly I learned about the honor it bestows on others and the sense of pride it gave me,” Ridge said.
He said one of the things he liked about sports was being on a team, and being part of Enid Fire Department is much about being on a team.
“I have shared a shift with the same two guys for over four years, so we are like brothers; we are family,” he said. “The camaraderie is special and so is leading the fireman honor guard with dignity and respect. I love my job.”
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