Tippy Pierce: OSFA Executive Director’s Report Hello to all members of the OSFA! This is our second magazine issue. I hope everyone enjoyed the first magazine as much as I did. I feel it was a great improvement from the old newspaper. It had some new things like the Oklahoma Ret. Moore FD Fire Chiefs Section. I would like to thank the OSFA board for the appointment of Executive Director after a year as the Interim Executive Director. I will try to work to help the OSFA move forward in the direction that the membership has set forth at the 127th Convention. All resolutions passed at convention, and only one was modified by the delegates. It was the dues increase, which is to start now in 2023. This was to give more time for cities and towns, to budget for this increase. All of these resolutions are on the OSFA Web site for viewing. The OSFA Board will be picking all the committee members by the time this magazine comes out or shortly thereafter. These committee and their members are the backbone of the OSFA. They do the work that helps give direction to the fire service. The David Bain Memorial Golf Tournament is Sept. 15 at Lincoln Park. It starts at 1 p.m., so call and get yourself registered early to avoid the rush! We plan to eat at the Memorial again afterwards. The Public Fire Education Summit at Children’s Center Rehabilitation Hospital is Sept. 23 at noon in Bethany. The Statewide Memorial Service is Oct. 3 at 2 p.m. We plan on having loved ones who have lost firefighters here, as was done two years ago. We will also be showing it on Facebook Live for those who cannot attend. We are in the process of adding names to the Wall of Valor and engraving panels for the Living section of the Memorial. We have not added names since 2016. ORFA will host its golf tournament on Oct. 20 in Shawnee, so please mark your calendar. Lunch is at noon and tee-off is 1 p.m. The first phase of the museum expansion should be under way again by the time this magazine gets to you. We have been working through a few issues but we think it is all done. We are waiting on the building permit will get issued. This project has been well over a year working through all the problems and additional changes needed by the City of Oklahoma City. Thanks for the service you provide to the cities and towns across this state as firefighters. Be safe and God Bless each and every one of you for what you do!
OSFA & Museum Staff
Meet Tippy Pierce, Executive Director of OSFA & ORFA
Tippy was born in Guymon and raised in Texhoma in the Panhandle of Oklahoma. In 1973, he joined the Texhoma (Texas) FD. In 1978, he moved to the Texhoma (Okla.) FD where he served as Fire Chief Moore FD Training Majors Mark Murdock, from 1985-88. He was Randy Lemons and Tippy hired by the Moore FD as a firefighter in 1988 and retired in 2009. Tippy has also been activley involved with the OSFA for years. He served on the Educational Advisory Committee from 1983-93; was on the Safety & Health Committee from its inception to 1994, helping write the Mission Statement for the committee; and served on the Legislative Committee from 1994-2013. Pierce also worked for the OSFA from 1988-2005. He started out mowing the lawn and helping out in the museum. By 1994, he was taking care of all the accounts as the comptroller and created the quickbooks program used for bookkeeping by the OSFA. In a recent question-and-answer Playing “cut-throat firefighter” Hearts at the station session with Oklahoma are Tippy, Lynn Miles and Ken Streeter Firefighter, Pierce, 70, shared the following: When did you know you wanted to be a firefighter? In 1962, I got a Texaco pumper. I was 11 and that was where it all started! I would fantasize about putting a fire out with my toy fire truck! What did you like best about being a firefighter? For me, it was being a part of something where you felt as a part of something bigger than yourself and had the opportunity help my fellow man! What did a year as Interim Executive Director teach you? That we have an Executive Board for the OSFA and the ORFA that cares about the fire service and the needs of all the members -- both active and retired, paid or volunteer. We service 16,000+ from 573 departments across Oklahoma.
Executive Director Tippy Pierce tippy@osfa.info
Administrative Director Sheri Nickel sherin@osfa.info
Administrative Assistant/Membership Madelyn Roth madelynr@osfa.info
Administrative Assistant/Events Shelby NeSmith shelbyn@osfa.info
Museum Director Gene Brown geneb@osfa.info
Museum Assistant Quintin James quintinj@osfa.info
Tippy with fellow Moore firefighters Shonn Neidel and Jeff Elmore
Museum Assistant Bob Noll bobn@osfa.info
Museum Assistant Brendon Pierce brendonp@osfa.info
Administrative Publications Museum Assistant Assistant Penelope Soldan Lance Gill Raegan Layne penelopes@osfa.info lanceg@osfa.info raeganl@osfa.infoOklahoma FirefighterAugust/September/October 2021 13
