Mike Duncan: ORFA President’s Report

Hello everyone! I’m excited to be the President of the Oklahoma Retired Firefighter Association.

We are working on recruitment of new members for the Retirees’ Association and going to areas to promote it.

On July 17, we were in Wagoner County, met with the Chiefs at their County meeting and handed out some some flyers and applications.

On July 20, we were in Medford, met with them and handed out some applications.

We have some legislation we are supporting.

There’s the multiplier for the volunteers to help increase their retirement. The volunteers need a raise in their retirement.

We have 2 COLA bills that have been introduced, one for 2% and one for 4%. We are working with our Senators and Representatives promoting these. Our retirees need a raise, also.

We will work hard on promoting the multiplier for the volunteers and a COLA for our retirees, along with increasing our membership.

If you would like for us to come meet with your department, or if you would like to start a County Retirement Association, give us a call. We would like to come and talk to your group.

Drive safely, as schools will be opening soon.

Q&A with Mike Duncan

ORFA’s new President was born in Tulsa and raised in Bartlesville.

He has been a volunteer firefighter since 1975, starting out with the Tri-County Emergency Fire Service, then going to the Washington County Fire Department and finally joining the Dewey Fire Department in 1995, where he retired in 2017.

In a question-and-answer session with Oklahoma Firefighter, Duncan, 71, shared the following:

When did you know you wanted to be a firefighter?

When I was in high school.

How’d you go about getting into the fire service?

I joined a volunteer department.

What did you like best about being a firefighter? All of it.

What are your hopes for the future?

To help make the Oklahoma Fire Service the best it can be.

What was the highlight of the 2023 ORFA Convention for you?

Being able to see and talk to old and new Brothers and Sisters of the Fire Service.

2023-24 ORFA EXECUTIVE BOARD

PRESIDENT

Mike Duncan Dewey FD Ret. mduncan51@aol.com

1ST VICE PRESIDENT

Dr. Erick Reynolds Milfay FD Ret. rerick@osufpp.org

2ND VICE PRESIDENT

Marshall Dunnam OKC FD Ret. dunnamm@yahoo.com

3RD VICE PRESIDENT

Gordon Gingrich

Tulsa FD Ret. gordongingrich@gmail.com

PAST PRESIDENT

James Fullingim Norman FD Ret. nfdchief@hotmail.com

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Tippy Pierce Moore FD Ret. fftip@swbell.net

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Q&A with Gordon Gingrich

ORFA’s new 3rd Vice President was born and raised in Tulsa. He graduated from the University of Oklahoma in 1979 (Bachelor of Business Administration; Finance) and from Tulsa Junior College in 1982 (Fire Engineering & Safety).

Gingrich joined the Tulsa Fire Department in 1980, and his first assignment was in District 4, E-10 where he served for six years. After 26 years of service, he retired in 2006.

He also served on the Board of Directors for the Firefighters Credit Union for approximately 20 years, serving as chairman for most of that time. And he was on the Board of Directors for the Greater Tulsa YMCA for approximately 15 years, earning the honor of Tulsa Metro YMCA Volunteer of the Year in 2012.

Gingrich and his wife Karen are currently realtors with Keller Williams Advantage.

In a question-and-answer session with Oklahoma Firefighter, Gingrich shared the following:

When did you know you wanted to be a firefighter?

My father served in the Tulsa Police Dept. and Detective Office as I was growing up. He served as FOP President and was a former Chairman of the State Police Pension Board. His service influenced my decision to be a Civil Servant.

What were some highlights of your fire service career?

The day I was promoted to Driver (Lieutenant), I was asked to accept a “Special Assignment” to install and train TFD personnel on a new 800 Mhz radio system.

When that task was completed, I was asked to represent the TFD for the installation of an E911 System and train the Dispatch Staff on a new Computer Aided Dispatch System. It then became my responsibility to manage the TFD Dispatch Division.

After 20 years of administrative work, which included many special projects such as building the Department Budget for several years and Auditing Fire Supply and Records, I retired in 2006 as a Staff Officer.

What were highlights of the 2023 ORFA Convention for you?

My thanks to all that supported me (and a special thank you to Dick Cagle) in becoming the 3rd Vice President of the ORFA. I look forward to working with the outstanding Executive Board and moving the Retirees needs forward.

My hope is that we can expand our membership and continue to grow our influence with the Legislature.

Ada Allison: OSFA Women’s Auxiliary Report

I am so glad to be back on the OSFA Women’s Auxillary Board. I hope I can be there to help anyway I can with anything that needs to be done.

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to serve on the board again. I was president in 1994-1995 and I enjoyed it so much. I was president when they broke ground for the Oklahoma Firefighters Memorial.

I haven’t been at the convention for a few years because my husband Herb Allison (Tulsa FD ???) was having health problems, and I really missed them. Herb passed away on Oct. 7, 2022. We were married for 37 years, and were together for five years before that. Between the two of us we have 11 children, 39 grand-children and 25 great grand-children.

Thank you so much to everyone who worked so hard to put the convention together in Tahlequah. I hope everyone had a great time.

I would really like to thank everyone who donated items to the Ladies Auxilary Silent Auction. I would really love to see our Auxillary grow, but we need more members to be able to do that. I would like to invite all the ladies and or their husbands to see everything we do and what we are all about.

Oklahoma Firefighters Museum Needs Your Help

Picture above is what we think is one of the few -- if not the only -- hand engine that ever served in Oklahoma. The engine currently is located in the Beaumont (Texas) FD Museum.

We traced the engine from a picture that was taken in Norman, OK, around 1955. The hand engine was in several locations, primarily in the state of Texas, where it finally ended its journey.

We located the son of the gentleman who purchased this unit and he remembers going with his father in a large truck to get it. He was 8 at the time and remembers only going to a location “somewhere near Tulsa.”

This unit stopped briefly at one of the Norman FD stations, then went to Fort Worth FD Training Academy, then to Grand Prairie and finally to its current location in Beaumont.

The question that we’re trying to answer is this: Where in Oklahoma did this unit serve?

Does anyone have the answer to this question? If you do, please contact Bob Noll at 405-226-9348 or bobn@osfa.info.

This is a very unusual part of the history of the fire service in Oklahoma. If we can get some definitive evidence of its service, then we can try to get this unit returned to Oklahoma for exhibition in the Oklahoma State Firefighters Museum.

The Oklahoma Firefighter’s Museum is making an attempt to locate the names of career and volunteer members who died while serving in the military.

The criteria would be that the deceased veteran would have to either have been drafted or volunteer for any branch of the military. And, as a result of this service, suffered fatal injuries.

Tentatively, the intent is to have a panel at the Memorial here that lists these members for special recognition.

Gene Brown: Firefighters Museum Director’s Report

Hello Everyone! Things have been very busy around the museum.

We parked cars for the Women’s College World Series. This year, we raised $51,000 for your Museum and Memorial. Also, we collected another $13,000 parking cars for the Big 12 Softball Tournament.

The 2023 Ride to Remember brought in $14,000. We also parked cars for the high school state softball tournaments for $2,500 more. That totals over $80,000 this year.

Sorry I missed everyone at convention. We were busy here at the museum. I hated to miss it, but it was worth it to the museum. Our new shop is moving forward. The plumbers and electricians started July 10. This will have us ready to move in and get things moving. We completed the parking lot lights, thanks to Cliff Davidson Electric. Thank you, Cliff, for your much-needed help.

Please remember that the Memorial Golf Tournament is Sept. 13 at Lincoln Park Golf Course. Mark the date to attend. It is always a great time to get together with old friends. We look forward to seeing everyone there.

Stay cool and safe this summer!

Jan Agnew

Died Jan. 19 (Age 60)

Sam’s Point VFD (2021 to 2023)

Ralph Callaway Jr.

Died June 7 (Age 60)

Newcastle FD (2001 to 2023)

Lynn Cross

Died July 16 (Age 65)

Elmwood FD (1988 to 2023)

Jerimy Jackson

Died June 16 (Age 35) Grove FD (2021 to 2023)

Brian Jantzen

Died May 1 (Age 44)

Ringwood FD (2011 to 2023)

405-834-5975

Danny E. Jones

Died May 30 (Age 63)

Tulsa FD (1991 to 2012)

W.J. Morgan

Died April 19 (Age 53)

Tuttle FD (1993 to 2017)

Sammy J. Perryman

Died April 15 (Age 80)

Tulsa FD (1970 to 1983)

Ricky D. Powell

Died June 30 (Age 61)

Tulsa FD (1985 to 2011)

Jared Rhodes

Died July 11 (Age 33) Sand Springs FD (2013 to 2023)

Donald Ralph Walker Died April 26 (Age 83) Tulsa FD (1968 to 1998)

Galen Shores: Started Family’s Fire Legacy

In 1973, Galen Shores became a volunteer firefighter at Texhoma.

“There weren’t enough people to fight fire,” he said. “They needed more help and I knew I could help.

“And when we finished at a fire, we would all sit together to share our experience to learn how to be better. The camaraderie within the fire service both at the station and off duty is what I enjoyed the most.”

He spent 16 years at Texhoma FD, reaching the rank of Fire Chief. Then he spent another 15 years at Moore FD, retiring in 2004 as Corporal.

And following his footsteps into the fire service have been 12 other family members, including his son Toby and grandson Trae.

“I think it’s so neat

Multi-Generational

For this edition of Oklahoma Firefighter, we are highlighting members of the Oklahoma Fire Service who give a different and deeper meaning to the term “fire family.”

While most everyone would attest that most days, your department feels like one big family -- not always a happy one, but a family -- there are truly so many families who have deep generational ties to the community and department they serve.

The Shores

Fire Family History

We some firefighter state, inspiration continuing such All OSFA Layne Editor We families your to see how inside my own family, we have grown to so many who are part of the Oklahoma Fire Service,” Galen said. “I love seeing my family enjoy their lives as firefighters and watching all my buddies I worked with continue on.

“My best friend since childhood, Tippy Pierce, finally joined me in Texhoma after I kept on and on after him, and he’s the reason I ended up at a Moore. That has been a great part of my career.”

Dalton Farris: Fire Brings Community Together

Two years ago, Dalton Farris joined the Goodwell VFD. Last year, he joined Guymon FD and is currently in Paramedic School.

“I’d say Major Toby Shores is the one who made me want to become a firefighter,” Dalton said of his cousin. “He told me it was a great career and not just a job, and how there is nothing like it.

“And having a cousin of mine be my Assistant Chief is also amazing, He picks at my brain and I pick at his.”

One memorable moment for Dalton so far -- although not a good one --was being part of the crew battling a fire at his parent’s house.

“We were not able to save it, but being able to fight along with my brother Drew and people I can call my family, it meant a lot,” Dalton said.

“But what really meant a lot is seeing how the community comes together after to help. So many times as firefighters we get caught up in the fire and we forget about the effects afterward. It was very humbling and a time I’ll never forget.”

• Galen Shores (1st Generation)

Texhoma FD (1973 to 1989)

Moore FD (1989 to 2004)

• Toby Shores (2nd Gen.)

Ripley FD (1993 to 1996)

Midwest City FD (2003 to now)

• Trae Shores (3rd Gen.)

Newcastle FD (2019 to 2022)

Tuttle FD (2022 to now)

• Gage Pittman (Toby’s son-in-law)

Anadarko FD (2021 to 2022)

El Reno FD (2022 to now)

• Mark Meyer (Galen’s nephew)

Verdigris FD (1996 to 1998)

Tulsa FD (1998 to 2013)

• Kinsey (Meyer) Blunt (Mark’s daughter)

Fair Oaks VFD (2017 to 2022)

Tulsa FD (2023)

• Brenden Blunt (Kinsey’s husband)

Fair Oaks VFD (2017 to now)

Tulsa Airport FD (2022 to now)

• Hannah Bittner (Mark’s niece)

Rolling Hills VFD (2010 to 2017)

• Ronnie Lathrop (Galen’s brother-in-law)

EMS for 40+ years, OK & TX Panhandles

• Myron Lathrop (Ronnie’s son)

Fire Protection Field (2001 to now)

• Scott Lathrop (Ronnie’s son)

Guymon FD (2006 to now)

• Dalton Farris (Galen’s great-nephew) Goodwell VFD (2021 to 2022)

Guymon FD (2022 to now)

• Drew Farris (Galen’s great-nephew) Goodwell VFD (2022 to now)