Official publication of the Oklahoma State Firefighters Association
December 2019 / January 2020 Volume 36, Issue 10
Tis a few months before the Caucus A free event that's done good to date And Oklahoma's Volunteer FirefIghters Are all invited to Partake The 18th Annual OSFA Volunteer Fire Caucus Feb. 1 at Canadian Valley Tech Center in El Reno More Details on Pages 14-15
Happy Holidays From the OSFA Executive Board & Staff I N S I D E
OSFA Executive Board Members’ Comments............................................................. 5-6 OSFA Executive Director’s Report - Steve Lumry ......................................................... 7 Firefighter Near-Miss Report - Greg Lindsay ............................................................... 10 Museum News - Gene Brown .........................................................................................12 OSFA Women’s Auxiliary Report - Kenda Engle......................................................... 16 In Memoriam .................................................................................................................. 25 ORFA Report - President Tippy Pierce ......................................................................... 16 Chaplain’s Corner - Chris Carlisle ..................................................................................18 Executive Board Meeting Highlights ....................................................................... 23-24 Oklahoma Fire Spotlight -- Hominy FD ........................................................................ 26
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klahoma Firefighter December 2019 / January 2020 Volume 36 — Issue 10
Official Publication of the Oklahoma State Firefighters Association 2716 N.E. 50th Street Oklahoma City, OK 73111 (405) 424-1452 • 1-800-308-5336 Fax (405) 424-1032 osfa@osfa.info • www.osfa.info Published monthly by and for members of the Oklahoma State Firefighters Association to educate its membership, to improve the fire service, and to enhance the value and dignity of their profession, either paid or volunteer. Editor in Chief Steve Lumry stevel@osfa.info
Managing Editor Penelope Soldan penelopes@osfa.info
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2019 OSFA Convention Details .......................................................................................4 2019 OSFA Convention Details .......................................................................................4 OSFA Executive Board Members’ Comments ............................................................5-6 OSFA Executive Board Members’ Comments ............................................................5-6 OSFA Executive Director’s Report - Steve Lumry ..........................................................7 OSFA Executive Director’s Report - Steve Lumry ..........................................................7 OSFA Women’s Auxiliary Report -Marti Carpenter ......................................................8 OSFA Women’s Auxiliary Report -Marti Carpenter ......................................................8 Firefighter Near-Miss Report - Greg Lindsay ............................................................... 10 Firefighter Near-Miss Report - Greg Lindsay ............................................................... 10 Museum News - Gene Brown ........................................................................................13 Museum News - Gene Brown ........................................................................................13 ORFA Report - President Juan Rodriguez ....................................................................15 ORFA Report - President Juan Rodriguez ....................................................................15 House Passes Firefighter Bills ............................................................................... 18-19 House Passes Firefighter Bills ............................................................................... 18-19 Chaplain’s Corner - Kim Hayes .....................................................................................19 Chaplain’s Corner - Kim Hayes .....................................................................................19 Executive Board Meeting Highlights ............................................................................ 24 Executive Board Meeting Highlights ............................................................................ 24 Oklahoma Fire Spotlight -- Ft. Towson FD .................................................................. 26 Oklahoma Fire Spotlight -- Ft. Towson FD .................................................................. 26
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Oklahoma FirefighterDec. 2019 / Jan. 20205
PresidenT n
Mike Kelley
OKC FD
This year has flown by, and as I write this article, Thanksgiving is next week. I’m thankful for the great leaders in the fire service that I have the privilege of serving with on a daily basis. I can tell you that you have quality people working every day to secure and enhance your benefits. On that front, I’m sure most are aware that the House hosted an interim study on our COLA issue Nov. 15. It was well attended and Representative Frix did a great job showing his support. Chase Rankin, the Executive Director of our pension fund, did a great job presenting the facts to those in attendance. Directors of some of the other systems were not as strong in their support. The fact is the House strongly supports the COLA effort and the Senate needs work.
405-623-4338
There are a lot of misleading and false narratives circulating around the Capitol and we have a team of folks trying to present the facts. Please make sure that you are armed with the facts if asked. If you aren’t sure of the facts, please refer questions to the team you have working on your behalf. Make plans now to attend the Annual Volunteer Caucus Feb. 1 from 8-5 at the Canadian Valley Tech Center (6505 East Highway 66 in El Reno). There will be a social the Friday night prior to the Caucus from 6-10 p.m. at Montana Mike’s (1609 SW 27th St/ in El Reno). Also, the OFCA Winter Workshop will be held in Stillwater again in 2020. The dates are Jan. 22-24. For more info, visit our website or app. Make sure that during this season you take time out to appreciate the blessings that we have. May each and every one of you have a wonderfully blessed holiday season!
1st vice PresidenT n
Eric Harlow
2019-20 OSFA Executive Board
mkelley@local157.org
Guthrie FD
ericharlow200@gmail.com • 405-520-2893 Greetings Oklahoma Firefighters! The holiday season is upon us, and before you know it, we will be starting the new year. It’s that time of the year again. The Legislature will be in session here in short order. One thing is for sure, the Legislative Committee, Executive Board and OSFA staff will be working hard to monitor, support and fight legislation that affects the Oklahoma fire service. We will also continue working on a cost of living raise for our firefighters (paid and volunteers) who have not seen a COLA in over a decade now. Do you know your legislators? Now is the time to get acquainted with them. Your OSFA may need you to call on them for support during this upcoming legislative session. I hope everyone has cleaned their chimneys for this winter season. I’d hate for Santa’s outfit to get all dirty from sliding down a nasty chimney! On that subject, home fires always increase during this time of year. Many times, fires are caused by people heating their homes in non-traditional manners, such as using a stove or oven to heat their home or combustible items left too close to space heaters. Please use every opportunity to educate your citizens on the dangers of home fires during the winter months. Fire prevention can be delivered year-round, and it’s cheap and easy for departments to present! I know the school-aged children especially enjoy the firefighters visiting their schools. Take every chance you can to connect with your young ones. You may make a life-changing impact on them or even foster a future firefighting career! (Editor’s Note: See the Public Education Summit information on Page 18). The winter wildfire season is officially here and several of you have already been busy with fires in your area. With the heavy fuel load from all the summer rainfall this year, this year’s season looks to be a fairly busy one. Remember to attack from the black and be aware of your terrain. It’s easy to have a fire with dry grass and muddy ground during the winter time, so use your four-wheel drive if you have it. Remember to operate your tanker or heavy brush rigs safely and take into account the weight they’re carrying. I want to give a special shout out to Chief Travis Fortune, the Fairview Fire Department and all of their mutual aid departments (including OSFA 2nd VP Chief Cliff Davidson of the Ringwood Fire Department) on the recent fire at Jensen’s GMC dealership. They did an amazing job of stopping a well- developed fire dead in its tracks. I hope all of you, your families and your departments have a holiday full of happiness and fellowship. I look forward to a great 2020 with our organization and the Oklahoma Fire Service. Stay safe and have a Very Merry Christmas!
PRESIDENT: Mike Kelley 405-623-4388 • mkelley@local157.org 1ST VICE PRESIDENT: Eric Harlow 405-520-2893 • ericharlow200@gmail.com 2ND VICE PRESIDENT: Cliff Davidson 580-554-1886 • davidsoncliff@yahoo.com 3RD VICE PRESIDENT: Jim Ed Nimmo 918-557-8379 • jimnimmo7@gmail.com PAST PRESIDENT: Dereck Cassady 580-761-5338 • IAFFLocal2479@yahoo.com
405-424-1452 • 800-308-5336 www.osfa.info
PAST PresidenT n
Dereck Cassady Ponca City FD IAFFLocal2479@yahoo.com 580-761-5338
I would like to start off by wishing everyone a Happy Holiday season. With the beginning of a new year comes a new legislative session. Now is the time for everyone to get out and have that face-toface conversation with their legislators. We have a very important session beginning in February, and we will need your help. As most of you know, we are trying to get a COLA for retirees. We ask that you get with your legislators and make sure we can count on them when the bills hit the floor to be voted on. Also, remember that 2020 is an election year. If your senator or representative is up for election and they don’t support us, work on finding someone in the district to run against them. I know I have said it many times over the past 4+ years, but we need everyone to get politically involved. We need as many friends in the Capitol as we can get. Just a reminder that the Chief’s Winter Workshop is coming up Jan. 22-24 in Stillwater. I encourage everyone to attend, as there is always a lot of good information presented. Also, remember Volunteer Caucus is coming up Feb. 1 at Canadian Valley Technology Center in El Reno. This is a great day for volunteers to come together and talk about the issues they are facing in their departments. A new event that we are having next year is a Public Education Summit. It will be March 6 in Bethany. Any of you who are involved in Pub Ed for your department should make plans to attend. We have some great speakers lined up and it should be a good day filled with good information. As always, the Educational Advisory Committee is working on putting together another great line-up of classes for the OSFA State Fire School. State Fire School will be May 7-9 in Tulsa. If you haven’t attended fire school in the past few years, work it into your schedule and come get some free training. Stay safe!
6Dec. 2019 / Jan. 2020Oklahoma Firefighter
3rd vice PresidenT n
Jim Ed Nimmo
I was all geared up for a heavy article this month, but in the middle of literally gearing up for my kids’ first ski trip, I decided to downshift and keep it light, it being Christmas season and all. It’s been close to 25 years since my first ski trip, and I have only been on a few in my life. I’m deep in search of a “rad” ski jacket most of you probably remember from the 80s and early 90s. I’m looking for the kind of coat that was on the shelf when “Aspen Extreme” hit the theaters in ’93. The hotter the pink and more neon the green the better. So, if any of you baby boomers have a little something like that laying around from the hey day of your 30’s that you haven’t been able to part ways with, hit me up. I’d love to offer you low dollar for it. XL please. Anyway, that got me thinking about a run-in I had with the Crested Butte fire department in the late winter of 1996. The truth is, I have really started to take for granted all the funny things that you run into on the job. I remember being in a Q&A with the notorious Dr. Booth of Booth and Associates (the firm Tulsa used for promotional exams) in preparation for a promotional exam early in my time at Tulsa. Maybe it was actually just a Q&A with my academy class and he happened to be there for an upcoming promotional exam. Either way, he said something that I haven’t forgot in the form of advice. “Write everything down.” At the time, I thought he meant some sort of journal to protect yourself in litigation or some other trumped up nonsense firehouse lawyers believe will protect them from the legal troubles we’ve all had beat in our head. These days, I have come to think that wasn’t what he meant at all. Now I think what he was talking about was all the funny, ridiculous, unbelievable stuff you come across in your career and what a pleasure it would be to look back over it from time to time. I also think that the value of “writing it down” would mean that you wouldn’t have to look back and strain to remember something crazy that happened to tell at a deer camp, a cocktail party, or to tell your new guys. For me at least, bizarre has come to be ordinary. A lot like a death of someone I don’t know, I rarely give it a second thought, so when I have the opportunity to tell a story, I find myself wracking my brain trying to remember something a non fireman would find hilarious or at least unbelievable because it’s all been washed away as just an ordinary day. I’m sure most of you know what I mean. With that I’ll get back to an ordinary day in Crested Butte, CO, in 1996. I was there with a group of Fraternity and Sorority types from NSU, most of whom were my friends -- some pretty close and some I haven’t seen or heard from since. I have always liked to hang out with folks who like to get rowdy, as in, “Rowdy” like Hank Williams Junior. That morning, and I use the term morning loosely because at that time in my life, noon might be at 1500 hours. We were pre-gaming in a condo not exactly slope side, but close. Everyone was getting ready to go out for the day when we heard a crash in one of the bathrooms. Everyone ran in to see what happened, so there were like 10 or 15 dudes in this tiny condo bathroom. One of our friends who was taking a shower was having a seizure and was laying semi wrapped in the shower curtain in the bottom of the tub. So there was this homie of mine lying there in the tub, full monty, with a shower curtain partially wrapped around him, and another of my buddies kneeling next to him with one of his hands sitting uncomfortably on my friend who was having the seizures hip and shaking his shoulder with the other yelling, “John, John, buddy,
Tulsa FD
918-557-8379 jimnimmo7@gmail.com
John” (names changed to protect the guilty). The other 12 or 15 of us were just standing there with our jaws hanging, taking it in in between sips when someone suggested we call 911. Someone called and a Crested Butte Fire ambulance showed up a few minutes later. They came in with their Tpack, ran us all out of the bathroom, and began what I would later know was as an assessment on my friend. We all went to the living area to wait on them. I didn’t know what postictal was at the time, but I was about to find out. A few minutes went by then the lead firemedic leads my buddy out of the bathroom and through the bedroom into the living area. She was just having an ordinary day on the job at Crested Butte. She had my buddy on a non rebreather, and was nice enough to advise him to put a towel on before he made his appearance. I can’t speak for the rest of the crew, but when I looked up I immediately spit a mouthful of Budweiser (maybe it was Keystone) across the room. My buddy was standing next to the coffee table. Looking back, he was clearly postictal. Anyway, he methodically looked around the room oddly and blankly making eye contact with every individual there then said, “What’s up guys?” The medic hadn’t really been looking at him while he was in transit and as she looked back and told him to have a seat on the coffee table she saw what we had all already seen. To her credit, she didn’t break character. My friend was standing there in nothing but a towel, with a non rebreather on his face. The thing was he had the towel wrapped around his chest, not his waist, and it wasn’t a very wide towel. My friend went to sit down on the table and as he looked down at himself, he reached down (or up) and nonchalantly tugged at the bottom edge of the towel like one might do if they were wearing a skirt that was a little too short while sitting down and crossing their legs. When my friend got back to normal, he was adamant that he didn’t want to go to the hospital. I’m assuming because they were Fire medics they didn’t spend 15 minutes trying to badger him into a $2,000 ambulance ride to Gunnison. He signed a refusal and they went on their way. As far as the towel goes, I can’t say for certain the medic didn’t know it all along, and if she did, I like her that much more for it. What I can say for certain is she and her crew had a decent laugh about it when she got back to the station. I can also say with relative certainty that she’s probably long since forgotten about it after several thousand more ordinary days, unless she wrote it down. I wonder where she is now? She looked to be in her early to mid 20s at that time. I wonder if she spent the last 25 years grinding it out on a meat wagon at Crested Butte, or maybe she’s a salty veteran of Denver Fire now. Clearly I haven’t forgot about it, but I wasn’t a fireman then, and I’m sure I’ve forgotten about plenty since. I regret that I haven’t followed Dr. Booth’s advice. It was the only good advice he gave us that day. Maybe I’ll start. I guess it isn’t too late. I’ll close out by wishing all of you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. I hope you take some time to look back on Holidays past and find some fond memories and maybe make some new ones. Write them down if you feel inspired. It might be that you look up one day and those memories are all that you have because the ones you shared them with are gone, or even more importantly, it might be something your loved ones can look back on and enjoy reading about to understand a little more about who you were when you’re no longer around. God bless you every one, and I’m serious about the jacket.
2nd vice President
n
Cliff Davidson Ringwood FD
580-554-1886 davidsoncliff@yahoo.com
I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. It looks like I will have to fast for a few days to lose the weight I gained over the last few days! The thing I love the most about the Thanksgiving holiday is the chance to get together with my family. As you get older, you grow to understand how important that is. I have been very blessed with growing up in a family that has always had close ties. My father was in business with his father and seven brothers and a brother in-law. They all worked together for many years until they all started reaching retirement age. They worked together all week until my grand father died, and they would get together at my grand fathers house every Sunday afternoon. Sure they would have disagreements, but they always worked things out and always respected and loved one another, and I feel very blessed to have grown up in that environment. As the years go by, I understand just how much that has helped shape me as a person. I am very thankful for my family. I believe that the fire service is a family of brothers and sisters helping and standing with one another to deal with life situations. The family aspect of the fire service is one of the things that I believe attracts people to serve. The bonds that form in the fire service are second to none. I have been very fortunate to serve with so many great people, and I look forward to meeting many more. With the services we provide and the situations we deal with, we all have to rely on one another to get the task at hand dealt with. We also need to support one another after the call is complete. Everyone handles each situation differently. We carry a lot of baggage that the public has no idea of what we deal with. And that is why it is so important for us to have each others back. We have to support one another through thick or thin. We all get to know the people we serve with. We know their personalities, and if you sense something wrong with someone you work with or someone you know, don’t be afraid to sit down with them and try to see what may be bothering them. We have too many people in the fire service taking their own lives. We as a brotherhood lose a brother or sister. We all have to take care of one another as a family. It is easier for a firefighter to open up and talk to a fellow firefighter. You may not know exactly what to say, but you may be able to help them get the support they need. We have to get rid of the “It’s a sign of weakness” mentality. No one can handle what we deal with and see alone. Everyone struggles from time to time, and we have to do a better job of discussing what may be bothering us. We have all dealt with a situation at one time or another that really affected us whether we let it out at the station in a debriefing or went home and cried our eyes out. Do not be afraid to talk about it. It is not a sign of weakness. You are human. This is a problem for all the fire service -- paid or volunteer. We are all brothers and sisters. We are family, so lets take care of one another. I hope everyone has a safe and joyful rest of the holidays! Take care.
Oklahoma FirefighterDec. 2019 / Jan. 20207
OSFA executive director n
Steve Lumry stevel@osfa.info
OCFD Retired •
BLESSED! That’s how I feel, “blessed.” I am blessed to have been a volunteer firefighter in Nicoma Park many years ago. I am blessed to have been a firefighter in Oklahoma City for nearly 30 years. I am blessed to have been able to work for the good of firefighters for 25 years, first with Oklahoma City Local 1524, then when it changed to Local 157 for 10 years, and then with OSFA for 15 years. I am blessed to work with the wonderful staff here at OSFA, past and present. I am blessed to have worked with some great people on the OSFA, ORFA, and OFCA Boards over the years. I am blessed with tremendous friends and mentors. And most of all, I am blessed by my wife Cheryl, our kids and our grandkids. I am blessed in no small part because of the prayers many of you say for those of us that are at the forefront of the Oklahoma Fire Service. I truly appreciate the kind of strength that comes from your thoughts and prayers. Because the most valuable part of the OSFA is the members we serve. You give us ideas, critiques, messages of encouragement, while never hesitating to let us know if we have gone off course. You are what make this organization GREAT!
Why am I listing all of this in this article? Mainly, because this is the time of year when we all take time to reflect on where we are in life. We begin around Thanksgiving taking the time to recognize what we should be thankful for, then at Christmas for the blessings we receive, and finally at New Years to understand what we need to do to improve during the next year. We are thankful and blessed for every reason listed above and can improve by doing everything in our power to ensure we obtain a COLA in 2020 and get the social security issue as it affects firefighters and our spouses fixed in Washington, D.C. We just completed the interim study on COLA’s in the House of Representatives on Nov. 15, 2019. Chairman Mark LePak (R - HD9) was supportive during the proceedings and seemed especially grateful and accommodating to the large number of interested parties (including firefighters and retired firefighters) that were present to watch the proceedings. Rep. Avery Frix (R – HD13) ran the study in a positive and educational manner that got the point across from all of the pension systems’ directors that EACH SYSTEM COULD WITHSTAND THE COST OF A COLA without breaking the bank. In fact, most would make up the cost within a year or two at the most. Our pension system director, Chase Rankin, did an outstanding job of pointing out how our system could absolutely afford to shoulder
405-424-1452
the cost of a one-time COLA. I even noticed that he was the only system director that included the numbers for up to an 8% COLA factored into the report. Kudos to Chase for doing the right thing, at the right time and in the right manner.
I also just got off a phone call from the staff member in Senator James Inhofe’s D.C. office that handles the social security issues for him. She was very inquisitive and interested in hearing what we could offer up on the subject. Upon completion of the 25 minute phone conversation, she said that she would continue to research the issue, communicate with Senator Lankford’s office and help determine the course of action. She also said that, “It sure appears to be a common sense issue and sounds like it should be fixed.” Obviously, that is not a ‘Senator Inhofe will advocate for you on this issue and make it happen’ kind of statement. But it is the most positive thing on this issue that we have heard in a while from the Senate. On the U.S. House side, all five Representatives have signed on as co-sponsors to this legislation. Representatives Mullin and Hern have been advocates for us on social security. This issue directly affects all paid firefighters, whether active or retired. Luckily, it does not affect volunteer firefighters since their primary employment is outside of the fire service and pension system. Speaking of volunteer firefighters, the grant has been going great. We still have one year left on the $2.17 million 2016 SAFER grant to train, outfit and provide physicals for volunteer firefighters. Now, we have also received a 2020 SAFER grant for $1.6 million to continue the program and raise the training level to Firefighter II -- all with no out-of-pocket cost to the firefighters or their departments (as long as the firefighter completes and passes the training). There is more on this in the Grant Coordinator’s article.
In the spirit of an additional update, we will be seeking a new grant coordinator to run this program soon. Sheri Nickel will be transitioning into her full-time role as the Administrative Director and training and then passing off the grant coordinator duties to someone new. Please watch for the application process to open after the first of the year. It has been a tremendous year for the OSFA and I have been very, very blessed to have been here to ride herd and see it happen. Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukah, Happy Kwanzaa and Happy New Year in the spirit of your personal beliefs. I hope each and every one of you and your families have a truly safe and blessed holiday season and new year. Remember, Leave Nobody Behind.
PENSION LEADERS: Oklahoma’s pension systems can withstand retiree COLA By Carmen Forman, The Oklahoman
EDITOR’S NOTE: This article was published in The Oklahoman newspaper on Nov. 17. It is reprinted with permission. The House Banking, Financial Services, and Pensions Committee Interim Study requested by Rep. Avery Frix was held Nov. 15 in room 432A at the State Capitol. To watch the Interim Study in it’s entirety, go to: http://sg001-harmony.sliq. net/00283/Harmony/en/PowerBrowser/ PowerBrowserV2/20191115/-1/22105?media StartTime=20191115130106 We want to thank the House of Representatives for their support on this highly important issue. The House supported this issue last session by a vote of 98-3 and they continue to support us as we try again this year. Please remember to contact your State Senator and ask them to support a 4% COLA.
Some leaders of Oklahoma’s pension systems think the systems can withstand paying a cost-of-living adjustment to state retirees next year. State retirees have gone 11 years without a cost-of-living adjustment in their pension checks, but that could change after executive directors of five state pension systems gave state legislators a positive financial outlook in a Friday (Nov. 15) hearing. The directors detailed the health of each pension system and the effects of offering retirees a 2% or 4% adjustment next year as part of a deeper dive on the issue. Oklahoma’s pension systems, which used to be some of the worst in the nation, have come a long way in the past decade, the directors said. Several of the state’s pension systems are funded at or above 99%. Others, like those for retired teachers and firefighters, are lower but hitting high points. The teachers’ system is at 72% and the firefighters’ system is at 71%. “In my history, I don’t know that we’ve ever been over 70% funded so we’re very proud of that,” said Chase Rankin, executive director of the firefighters’ system. Rep. Avery Frix, R-Muskogee, pushed unsuccessfully this year to give most state retirees a 4% cost-of-living adjustment. He plans to renew his push during the 2020 legislative session. Frix said the information presented Friday (Nov. 15) at his interim study on cost-of-living adjustments solidifies his argument that legislators can offer an adjustment without bankrupting the systems. “My hope is to show that our state retirement systems have improved dramatically over the past decade, and we are now in a position to give our retirees the COLA they deserve and have been promised,” he said. Frix pointedly asked most of the state’s pension heads whether the systems could withstand offering an adjustment. Most said yes. Offering a 4% adjustment would likely reduce the funded rates of each pension system between one and three percentage points. Ginger Sigler, the executive director of the Oklahoma Police Pension and Retirement system, said the improvements in the retirement systems were done on the backs of state retirees. The police pension system is funded at nearly 103%, and would drop to 101% with a pension adjustment. “Our retirees have suffered from this and I think it’s time to give a COLA. We need to be prudent about it, but I think it’s time,” she said. Tom Spencer, executive director of the Teachers’ Retirement System of Oklahoma, said the decision was not his to make. “That’s not for me to say,” he said. “I don’t like to see the funded ratio ever go down.” Retirees packed the Capitol hearing room for the interim study, leaving standing room only for latecomers. Retired Oklahoma City teacher Debbie Hogue-Downing walked away from the meeting convinced a pension adjustment is feasible. A widow, Hogue-Downing has grown more concerned about her finances in the five years since her husband’s death. Home repair costs have started adding up as everything else in Hogue-Downing’s life has started to cost more. “We need to let legislators know that it’s important for us and we’re serious about this,” she said. House legislators, both Democrats and Republicans, overwhelmingly supported offering a pension adjustment to retirees this year, but Senate leadership was concerned about the health of the pension systems and didn’t want to cause lasting damage. Part of what hurt the state’s pension systems a decade ago was legislators repeatedly giving retirees more generous benefits than the state could afford. Earlier this year, Senate leaders asked for an actuarial analysis of offering retirees a 2% adjustment, which is less than the plan the House approved. Cost-of-living adjustments will undoubtedly be an issue next year, and may force the House and Senate to come to a compromise during the 2020 legislative session.
8Dec. 2019 / Jan. 2020Oklahoma Firefighter
First Responders And Addiction: Through The Eyes Of A First Responder By Asa Don Brown, Ph.D., C.C.C., D.N.C.C.M., F.A.A.E.T.S. Member, Board of Professional and Scientific Advisors American Academy of Experts in Traumatic Stress Diplomate, National Center for Crisis Management Fellow, American Academy of Experts in Traumatic Stress As a first responder and psychologist, I have been in the midst of some of the most horrific and unimaginable scenes. All the training in the world can never prepare your visual mind or your sense of smell associated with fire related events. Whether you are on the scene of a motor vehicle accident or involved with battling a raging inferno; the mind of a first responder is put to the test on a daily basis. Whether you are a paramedic, firefighter, police officer, 911 dispatcher, or some other form of first response; the life of a first responder is heavy-laden with tragedy and sorrow. It is well known that first responders are first on the scene, but little is discussed about their lack of mental health care. Thus, the trouble begins for many first responders. Alone late at night with their mind toiling through images of the past; the first responder may be challenged with a barrage of images associated with tragedy and sorrow. Unfortunately, there are too few first responders who are willing to reach out for help, and more that deny having any mental health concerns atall. The burdens on a first responder are not always associated with being a first responder, but, the egregious nature of the job sometimes takes its toll on the life of the first responder. First responders have a macho persona. After all, you are a real-life superhero and rightfully so. First responders are not always climbing up trees to rescue cats, nor are they battling a raging inferno, but they are frequently interacting with the community. First responders are known to visit schools; be involved in a variety of community projects; to receive calls involving domestic violence; learn of hostile activities before they occur; and they are privy to a wide range of domestic and international threats. Given all of this, they are often informed that they must conceal a bushel of information. Naturally, first responders have a tendency to be selfless, but in their selfless acts, they are often guilty of avoiding their own personal self-care. Balancing life, career, and family can sometimes be a juggling act, so much so, that some may turn to alcohol and other substances to manage conditions like post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Stanley et al. found that career firefighters reported higher levels of problematic alcohol use and PTSD as compared to the volunteer firefighters, while the volunteers reported higher levels of depression and suicide attempts and ideations (Stanley et al., 2017). Recent (past month) heavy or binge alcohol drinking was reported in approximately 50 percent of male firefighters and driving while intoxicated was reported in 9 percent of male firefighters (Haddock, Poston, Jahnke, & Jitnarin, 2017). Due to the nature of the career, first responders have a higher probability of developing PTSD and other mental health conditions. The repeated exposure to disasters, accidents, violence, loss of life and trauma can pose a significant risk to the health and well-being of an individual. Moreover, these experiences not only have an effect upon the first responders themselves, but it most certainly has a vicarious effect upon the first responder’s network of friends and family. Additionally, first responders have become victims of stigmas, threats, and hostile acts. Sadly, mental health has taken a
Dr. Asa Don Brown is an international speaker, coach, consultant and author.
He was born in Tulsa, attended Westmoore High School and currently lives in New York where he trains as a New York State volunteer firefighter.
His latest article was published in October 2019 in The Journal of the American Academy of Experts in Traumatic Stress.
Many thanks to Dr. Brown for contacting the OSFA and sharing his article with Oklahoma firefighters. bad rap amongst first responders. This undeserved reputation is not only communicated amongst first responders, but therapists are often portrayed in movies and television as wacky, neurotic and unhinged (e.g. Analyze This; Good Will Hunting; What About Bob?). If this was not enough, a staggering 70% of United States firefighters are volunteer. As volunteers, very few departments offer EAPs / EFAPs (employee assistance or employee family assistance programs), nor do they offer compensation for issues of mental health. First responders have a legitimate concern with being outed. If a first responder is known to be using alcohol or other substances while on the job, the legal and career consequences could be severe. Moreover, if a first responder is known to be struggling with a mental health condition, they may be placed on a desk job or on leave. Therefore, the fears of a first responder may be compounded by the perception of mental health and the struggle to manage a mental health condition. As first responders, we spend our days providing care for others. Balancing a career as a first responder and having a mental health condition can be difficult. Add an addiction to the equation, then the first responder’s perceptions become altered and their ability to serve: null. Encouraging a first responder to seek help can be like pulling a camel through your front door. While it’s not impossible, it may be a bit challenging to say the least. First responders need to be encouraged to ask for help. They need to understand that asking for help is not a sign of weakness, nor a question of their masculinity, but rather, it is a courageous step towards living a full and productive life. It is not uncommon for first responders to avoid asking for help. When it relates to substance and alcohol abuse, asking for help may prevent you from losing your job or being found guilty in a court of law. First responders are held to a higher standard while serving on the job. If a first responder is using a substance or alcohol while performing a task related to his or her job; they could be tried for such conduct. Moreover, a first responder may never dream of using while on the job, but addictive issues have a way of spilling over into other aspects of one’s life. An addict may present as irritable, agitated, or even hostile while performing duties assigned. It’s important that you recognize any inconsistencies or mood changes in your fellow first responder. Being a first responder is about being a part of a family. As a member of this family, I encourage my fellow brothers and sisters to address their issues. I beg you to consider asking for help. It’s not too late to request help or to find someone that you can lean upon. After all, it’s a family and we should look out for one another.
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OSFA STAFF REPORt Kristen Horton Admin. Assistant
I love the holidays! As I am writing this article, it is Halloween. A few of us have decided to dress up. We posted on the OSFA Facebook page yesterday for those in costume to come see us! I hope we get lots of visitors as we have a ton of candy to give out. Fellow OSFA staffer Leesa Black and I have already started to plan for Christmas decorations. We are currently in negotiations with the bosses as to when they will let us decorate. If I had it my way, we would have decorations up Nov. 1. The bosses want to wait until Thanksgiving. Time will tell who wins that war! We have just finished sending out packets for the OSFA membership drive. I am taking over this monumental task this year. Just like with anything, there will be a learning curve. But I have an office full of wonderful co-workers to help me out! Send me your membership and I will get your cards and decals out as soon as possible! I hope to see everyone at our events this year!
Oklahoma FirefighterDec. 2019 / Jan. 20209
Question & Answers Oklahoma Firefighter asked last issue’s readers this question: “What’s your favorite holiday treat?” Here is what they said: w Tippy Pierce, Moore Ret.: Mine is the making of peanut, almond and pecan brittle. Then sharing it with family and friends. w Tom Marcum, Mooreland: My wife’s chocolate pie. w Aaron Burns, Broken Arrow Ret.: The overindulgence of alcohol. w Bert Norton, Midwest City: I think it would be a Fourth of July dessert -- homemade ice cream. w Greg Lindsay, Oklahoma City: Cheesecake! w Kristen Horton, OSFA: My mom’s ginger cookies! They are similar to ginger snaps but a little different at the same time. w Bre Horn, Marshall: That’s a toss up between pumpkin pie and the Christmas cookies I make that are Fruity Pebbles, mini marshmallows and dry roasted peanuts all held together with white almond bark. w Larry Hansen, Oklahoma City: Homemade turtles with lots of caramel. w Melanie Colvin, Lexington: I love mints, so my favorite treat is Brach’s Christmas nougats. Look forward to them each year! They hold some Christmas nostalgia, as well, so that adds to the enjoyment. w Chris Carlisle, Elk City: My mom’s cranberry salad. w Terrell Thompson, El Reno: Any of my mom’s or grandma’s homemade candy. w Jeremy Goodrich, Yukon: I love banana pudding and chocolate covered pretzels. Plus, it’s always a treat to see family.
Next Month’s Question -“What’s your favorite line from a book or movie?”
Everyone is Welcome to Participate!
Email Your Response to penelopes@osfa.info
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SAFER Grant Sheri Nickel
SAFER Grant Coordinator
Often times, I am asked how we can improve Recruitment and Retention in our volunteer fire departments. I don’t claim to be an expert in this field by any means. I have sat through classes presented by well known “experts” who claim to have the answer to what we need to do to keep our departments fully staffed. But, at the end of the presentation, during the Q&A session, when I have asked them how to overcome problems that I know that we have in Oklahoma, I have not been greeted with a healthy answer. Most often asked: “Do you really want those kinds of people in your fire department?” Perhaps we don’t want those kinds of people, but not all of us have the luxury of a waiting list of people who want to be a volunteer firefighter in our communities. Whether you are an existing or aspiring leader, it doesn’t take long to realize that the celebrity of leadership is overrated. More so, there is no shortage of bad leaders running around making it harder for the good ones to get people’s buy-in. Perhaps that could be one of the biggest problems with R&R in any department -- poor leadership. It is easy to wear a white hat or drive a Chief’s vehicle, but when it comes to engaging your people to train, attend meetings or respond to calls, how is that working out for you? Why is it that so many think leadership is about bossing people around and getting what you want? The reality of leadership is that it can be hard -- really hard. Life is messy and people’s problems at home such as marriage, finances, substance abuse, or children occupy our attention while at work. Also, oftentimes from a lack of sleep, stress, or having traumatic experiences, we struggle to reconnect and be present with our families once we get home. Leading isn’t just about training your people; it also involves a significant investment of time to help when problems arise. It’s moments spent coaching and counseling. It’s celebrating the good while not hiding from and dealing with the not so good. Yesterday’s leadership training is not preparing people to face the challenges of today’s fire service. It neglects relationships, empathy and the power of caring about each other. We must teach leaders to focus less on themselves and strip away the vanity and ego of leadership. It’s time for the fire service to return to its roots by embracing the heart of a servant, humbling ourselves to our purpose, and loving each other -- not just the lauded accolades of what we do. Today, and every day forth, our actions must seek to reclaim our mission and our brotherhood from the grasp of those who only see the opportunity of celebrity, instead of service.
Year-4 of SAFER Grant Opened Nov. 29, 2019 Funds dispersed on a first-come first-served basis
OKLAHOMA STATE FIREFIGHTERS ASSOCIATION Sheri Nickel Grant Coordinator www.OSFA.info sherin@osfa.info 405-424-1452 office 580-554-7123 cell Because of the success of this grant, OSFA was awarded a new SAFER Grant for 2020-2024 to sustain and enhance what is already being done!
DID YOU KNOW … The most tax efficient way to leave a charitable gift from your estate is through a retirement account? By naming the Oklahoma City Community Foundation as one of the beneficiaries of your retirement plan, the gift will be tax-free. If you are subject to estate tax, your estate will also receive a charitable deduction to offset the tax liability. Simply request a beneficiary designation form from your retirement plan administrator and list the Oklahoma City Community Foundation as a primary or contingent beneficiary. Make sure you communicate your intent of a gift to the executor of your estate as well as to the Community Foundation.
3 Firefighter Funds Accepting Charitable Donations Through Oklahoma City Community Foundation (https://donate.occf.org) • Pete and Lela Stavros Scholarship Fund • Oklahoma Fire Chiefs Association’s Keith Bryan Memorial Scholarship Fund • Oklahoma State Firefighters Museum Endowment Fund
10Dec. 2019 / Jan. 2020Oklahoma Firefighter
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NEAR-MISS REPORT
By Greg Lindsay
Watch the Hands In sports, we watch the center of gravity for our opponents. It gives us the best clue about where they’re going next. With a medical call, we must pay attention to many things -- is the scene safe, what is the general impression of the patient, is there a mechanism of injury, and what is the patient’s reason for calling? All these clues lead us to our approach to care for the patient; however, looking at the patient’s hands can give us an indication of what the patient intends to do. The featured report this month describes a routine EMS call. A patient has fallen, cannot get back up, and denies any injury. While this scenario occurs daily, the event reported in this article takes a dramatic turn. As you read this report, consider with each paragraph how you would approach this incident.
EVENT NARRATIVE Family members were present when we responded to a “fall” at a residence. The wife and two adult sons were standing over the patient in the living room area. A 71 year old male fell in the hallway, trying to make his way into the bathroom. Our three-member crew made our way around the bed, past the couch and walked over to the patient. He was lying next to the sofa at the hallway entrance on his back. We assessed him for injuries. Finding none, and with no complaints from the fall itself, we assisted him to his feet and asked him where he wanted to go. He pivoted left, walked behind the sofa, and immediately made his way toward the bed. I was directly behind him with my hands just under his arms. The patient was able to follow commands but was slightly confused. He picked up his pace and walked faster. This left me with empty hands, so I sped up my walk to assist him. As he was getting into his bed, he got on his right knee and made a reaching motion with his left hand to the other side at the edge of the mattress. I grabbed him by the shoulders thinking he was falling forward, and laid him on his back. A first responder was now on the opposite side of the bed. I turned around to retrieve our EKG monitor from the couch across the room. My medic was across the room, talking to the wife gathering history and what lead to the fall, etc. The two sons were just behind the medic with the mom. I informed the paramedic I was going to get vitals, grabbed the EKG, and proceeded to walk back to the bed. I walked over to the right side of the bed and the patient. The first responder was to my immediate right. I placed the EKG monitor on the bed, informed the patient who I was and that I was going to begin taking his blood pressure. I turned on the EKG, took out the BP cuff, and began applying it to his right arm. At that point, I felt his arm go stiff, and the expression on his face winced. My responder started yelling my name. As I looked to the right to see what he was yelling about, I saw a pistol coming toward me. I took control of his right upper arm where the BP cuff was. All the patient could do was bring his right arm up at the elbow. The pistol was at about my right shoulder waving toward my face as I reacted and pulled my body and head in a backward motion with my right-hand pushing the firearm to the left. It went off, just missing my left shoulder about 10 inches from my face…
ATTENTION Fire Chiefs and Department Heads Need training for your mechanics?
Are the mechanics working on your equipment certified?
Think you cannot afford training?
O.A.E.V.T. CAN HELP! oklahomaevt@gmail.com
wilkerson.robert@icloud.com
Incidents dispatched for a fall occur daily in our line of work. Many of these calls result in assisting a person from the floor with nothing more than an assessment to ensure they are not injured. Occasionally, we find altered mental status or a physical injury requiring transport. As you consider the following discussion points, remember the routine nature of this original dispatch. • How often do you respond to assist someone that has fallen in his or her home? • Discuss how the calls are resolved. How frequently does the person simply need assistance from the floor, or what are some of the signs and symptoms that would require transport? • Do you feel safer on this type of call when there is another family member present? • Have you ever needed to force entry to gain access to the fall victim? What would prompt you to request law enforcement when this kind of situation is necessary? Does it matter if the call is from a third party, or would you be aware of a third party call? • Should a question like, “Do you have any weapons on you?” be a part of the initial assessment? Why do you think it is, or is not, a relevant question to ask?
LESSONS LEARNED
Fall Patient Brandishes Pistol
The Oklahoma Association of Emergency Vehicle Technicians helps mechanics and departments find training, servicing and parts for emergency equipment.
OKC Fire Department
O.A.E.V.T. can provide FREE TRANING that can be tailored to your department
There is no such thing as a routine call; we hear this all the time, but what does that really mean? It means to watch our patient’s hands. Even if you’ve responded to the same people three times before, always have extra eyes watching. If the first responder to my right hadn’t gained my attention, the outcome would have been very different. All it took was the time for me to turn on the monitor and apply the BP cuff, five seconds max, and I’m fighting for my life at close combat. We had only been in the home for about seven minutes before the incident occurred. Having a third EMS crewmember was key since the medic and I were task saturated with patient care and obtaining a history from the family members. We will be paying closer attention to the older male population and have extra eyes to watch hands and scan the area for potential weapons. We will also ask the family members if there are weapons or firearms close by where the patient usually sits or sleeps.
Although responding to a fall occurs daily, there are always situations that can make it less than routine. Some of the addresses where we respond are familiar and we have a good idea what to expect. Others are new to us and pose more of a question about the situation. The reality is that we have to remain vigilant in monitoring every situation on every incident. In responding to this type of call, I always felt more comfortable when another family member was present, as well as having another responder with me. Occasionally, departments send apparatus that have a single responder assigned due to proximity and apparatus availability. In light of reports like this one, should that practice be carefully reviewed? Had it not been for the additional responder on this incident, the author believes this would have had a very different outcome including his death. There have been several incidents in the news lately where first responder assaults occurred during a response. A report from Drexler University published by MedicalDaily.com states that EMS responders subjected to physical violence is on the rise, and ambulance personnel, including male paramedics, are more likely to be assaulted than firefighters (1). Is this due to the number of personnel that EMS agencies respond with, or the way the ambulance personnel approach an incident? This interesting topic could change how fire departments respond as well. Including law enforcement on these types of calls is becoming more common. When crews respond to check the welfare of a person, it’s a judgment call the dispatcher makes as to whether a police officer is included. The recommendation I share is that any time you must force entry, or if it’s a call from a third party, request law enforcement. Have you encountered a violent situation during an EMS response? In many states, it’s a felony to assault a first responder, but according to the study from Drexler University, some legal professionals consider it as part of the job and refuse to prosecute. Some studies have stated that as much as 50% of EMS personnel have been assaulted on the job. It’s a curiosity to me how firefighters would respond to that statistic. The national report system, found at www.Firefighternearmiss.com, is an avenue to report incidents anonymously. Submitting a report where an assault occurs is easy to do, and is searchable in the system. Any report you send in could be the one that prevents another firefighter from a traumatic injury. Additionally, these reports could lead researchers to identify trends that may be underreported in the legal system. Your report in the national database may not only protect other responders; it could change the way fire departments respond. References (1) https://www.medicaldaily.com/first-responders-14-assault-risk-firefighters-study-370658 Fall Patient Brandishes Weapon found at http://firefighternearmiss.com/Reports?id=15962
SALES TEAM n Teresa Ellis 405.202.4124 n tellis@mesfire.com
n Robert Spychalski
THANK YOU ALL FOR ALL YOU DO
918-314-5269 n rspychalski@mesfire.com
SERVICE TECH - Hurst / Scott n David Moore 214.724.6989 n dmoore@mesfire.com
Oklahoma FirefighterDec. 2019 / Jan. 202011
Our wish to you and to yours A MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A JOYFUL NEW YEAR!
Sincere gratitude, Your MES Team
12Dec. 2019 / Jan. 2020Oklahoma Firefighter
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VISIT YOUR OKLAHOMA FIREFIGHTERS MUSEUM
Museum news
MUSEUM GIFT SHOP FEATURES UNIQUE FIREFIGHTER ITEMS
Gene Brown
Purchase online (www.osfa.info/ gift-shop) or visit the museum!
Museum Director
Mon. thru Sat. 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Sun. 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. FREE for OSFA Members & Immediate Family
geneb@osfa.info 405-424-3440
Smile! Did you know that you can sign up on Amazon Smile and support the Oklahoma State Firefighters Museum? Well you can, and at no cost to you. Just sign up and list the museum as your charitable organization. More details are at right It only takes a minute to start supporting the Firefighters Museum. Thank you in advance for your help. Here at the museum, we still have children’s bunker gear for sale in the gift shop. It makes a great Christmas gift. We are making improvements in the museum. We now have QR codes that work with your smart phones. Just click and listen.
We are adding new ones all the time. It has been very well received by our customers. We are always looking for ways to enhance the experience for our visitors. Please take time to visit your museum and see what’s new. Here are some dates to remember: n Jan. 22-24 is the OFCA Winter Workshop in Stillwater. n Feb. 1 is the OSFA Volunteer Fire Caucus in El Reno. n March 6 is the Oklahoma Public Education Summit in Oklahoma City. Please make plans to attend. We here at the museum would like to wish everyone Happy Thanksgiving and a Merry Christmas. Be safe out there!
$68 Crossed Axes Pendant $70 Jr Firefighter Bunker Gear
$100 Commemorative Memorial Knife $15 Camo Museum Cap
Support Oklahoma Firefighters Museum by shopping at AmazonSmile When you shop on AmazonSmile (smile.amazon.com), the AmazonSmile Foundation will donate 0.5% of the price of eligible purchases to the charitable organizations selected by customers. The Oklahoma State Firemens Museum Inc. is one of the charitable organizations, and that is your museum. There is no cost to charitable organizations or to AmazonSmile customers. The shopping experience is identical to Amazon.com with the added benefit that the AmazonSmile Foundation will donate to your Museum, if
Help support your Oklahoma Firefighters Museum Expansion and the Oklahoma Fallen and Living Firefighters Memorial by purchasing an Oklahoma Firefighter license tag. Money received from the purchase of each tag goes directly to financing upkeep on the Oklahoma Fallen and Living Firefighters Memorial and Oklahoma Firefighters Museum. Oklahoma Firefighter tags cost $35 a year (on top of regular tag fees) and $20 goes directly to the Museum/Memorial. Tags can be purchased from local tag agents any time during the year -- not just with your regular plate. And they can be customized to 6 letters as approved by the Tax Commission.
SMILE.AMAZON.COM selected! Just make sure to shop at smile.amazon.com instead of the regular Amazon site. Simply add it as a bookmarked page to your home screen, so it will basically be an app. The link that automatically adds the Oklahoma Firefighters Museum as the charity is https://smile.amazon.com/ch/73-6109355.
OSFA Snapshots
Got something going on at your FD?
Share the news! Email photos to osfa@osfa.info
RIGHT: OSFA’s Steve Lumry presents OSUFST’s Dr Erick Reynolds with a gift at his retirement party Nov. 1 in Stillwater.
Oklahoma FirefighterDec. 2019 / Jan. 202013 OKC Firefighter Chad Ake Sets Powerlifting World Record Corporal Chad Ake of the Oklahoma City Fire Department has set a new world record in the bench press for powerlifting. At the International Powerlifting League World Championships held in October in Leipzig, Germany, Ake bench pressed 391 pounds in his 165-pound weight class to set the world record. He won the 2019 United States Powerlifting Association Nationals which qualified him for the International Powerlifting League World Championships. Ake, who has been involved with powerlifting over the past several years, has the following accomplishments to his credit:
BELOW: Legislators from NE Oklahoma in attendance at the Green Country Fire Chiefs Legislative Reception held Nov. 7 in Broken Arrow.
2016 U.S. Police and Fire Championship • Bench Press – Silver • Push/Pull – Gold (Push/Pull is a combination event featuring bench press and deadlift)
LEFT & ABOVE: OKC Retirees annual Christmas Dinner.
n www.CONRADFIRE.com
2017 World Police and Fire Games • Bench Press – Gold • Push/Pull – Silver
2018 U.S. Police and Fire Nationals • Bench Press – Gold • Push / Pull – Gold 2018 Mr. Olympia Expo (international event) • Bench Press – Gold 2019 United States Powerlifting Association Nationals • Bench Press – Gold
@conradfire
@conradfireequipment n (913) 780-5521
@conradfire
Conrad Fire Equipment and Steve Martin would like to thank and congratulate the Oklahoma City Fire Department on the recent purchase of a set of Pierce Enforcer PUC Pumpers (one is pictured)
STEVE MARTIN (405) 620-1891
ROGER BROWN (785) 865-6941
RYAN REEVES (405) 269-3844
CARY PROVENCE (405) 623-8216
Firefighters Serving Firefighters
14Dec. 2019 / Jan. 2020Oklahoma Firefighter
18th Annual OSFA Vo Saturday, Feb. 1, 2020
n Canadian
The OSFA Volunteer Fire Caucus is open to all Volunteer Firefighters in the State of Oklahoma -whether a member of the OSFA or not. While all input and participation is being sought and encouraged, only OSFA members will be allowed to vote on Resolutions. There will also be updates on the progress of items from last year’s caucus, along with reports from the Pension System, OSU-FST and Forestry. AND there will be door prizes given away.
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2:30 2:45 5:00
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Oklahoma FirefighterDec. 2019 / Jan. 202015
olunteer Fire Caucus
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volunteer fire service Committee report Tom Marcum
n Valley Tech Center - El Reno Campus The OSFA Caucus is FREE to all attendees and will last from 8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Pre-registration is required to ensure there is enough food, as lunch will be provided. This Caucus is prepared by Volunteers for Volunteers. Come and have your voice heard! EVENING SOCIAL at Montana Mike’s on Friday, Jan. 31
Register online at www.OSFA.info For more info: 1-800-308-5336 • 405-424-1452 • timb@osfa.info
2020 OSFA VOLUNTEER FIRE CAUCUS
1) 2) 3) 4)
(TENTATIVE AGENDA)
Registration Opening Session - Cliff Davidson, OSFA 2nd Vice President & Ringwood FD Pledge of Allegiance - James Kesterson, Turley FD Prayer - Tom Marcum, Mooreland FD Introduction of Executive Board & Guests - Cliff Davidson OSFA Welcome/Introduction of Staff - Mike Kelley OSFA Pres. & Oklahoma City FD
moorelandfire@pldi.net
Know Your Worth The story is told of a gift, a Christmas gift, under the tree on Christmas morning. It’s the smallest of the gifts, in the not-so-nicest of wrapping. It looks cheap in comparison to the other gifts under the tree, almost as if it doesn’t belong. It’s the last gift chosen when all of the others have been opened, and it’s laying there, unwrapped, alone under the tree after all the festivities have concluded. What the openers of the gifts didn’t realize was that the gift left unopened was the most expensive, and of the most worth -- more than all the others combined. And they missed it because it didn’t look like the rest. This story can be taken many ways, and the moral can be taught from many different perspectives depending on the situation. However, as we enter into the Christmas season being involved in the best job in the world as firefighters, let us not forget our worth. It doesn’t matter whether we are volunteer, career, combination, retired or fit into multiple of these categories. What matters is that we know our worth. We know that part of our responsibility is to give back to those we serve. We know that our first priority is to come home safely to those we call family. We understand that we need each other. We know that we’re all a part of something much bigger than us. And we know that those who have come before us have given of themselves so that we can benefit today from their service yesterday. Now it’s our turn to leave it better for those who will fill our boots tomorrow. These are great words, and simple reminders, but it’s tough to do if we don’t know our own worth. We have to determine our own worth in order to serve others, and to be able to not allow others to determine our worth for us. Much like the gift left under the tree, we may not be the fanciest, or the most expensive, or even the best on the outside, but once opened, the true worth will shine through. Never let someone else determine your true value! Merry Christmas to each of you and yours!
Speaker - Dana Mugavero, Director, First Responder Support Service in Tulsa BREAK
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Progress Report on Resolutions from Last Year’s Caucus OSFA Legislative Update - Steve Lumry, OSFA Executive Director, & Don Armes, OSFA Lobbyist OSFA Roundtable - Moderator: Mike Duncan Panel: Fire Marshal, Forestry, Health Department, OEM, OSU-FST, OSFA, Oklahoma Firefighters Pension Lunch Sponsor Announcement Recognition of Volunteer Fire Service Committee Members Explanation of the Breakout Sessions and room assignments - Travis Fortune, OSFA Volunteer Fire Service Committee Chair & Fairview FD LUNCH Breakout Sessions & Discussion PRIMARY Randal Sullivan Scott Kirby Lee Johnson Mike Weinkauf
SECONDARY Tom Marcum Craig Hannan Travis Harris Mike Duncan
OSFA Eric Harlow Mike Kelley Dereck Cassady Jim Ed Nimmo
ORFA Yogi Cole James Fullingim George Fina Tippy Pierce
BREAK General Session - Cliff Davidson, OSFA 2nd Vice President Summary of issues from Breakout Sessions & selection of top priorities Resolutions for OSFA Convention / Vote on resolutions Explain voting at Convention & Saturday-only registration for Volunteers Discussion and input from attendees regarding next year’s Caucus Meet Candidates for OSFA Board ADJOURN
Mooreland FD
Educational Advisory Committee report Rodney Foster
Shawnee FD
mwc138@gmail.com
We are excited about hosting the State Fire School in Tulsa again this year. Mark your calendars for May 7-9, 2019. This year we have some new faces on the committee, and it has produced some new energy. Each meeting we discuss how we can put classes together that are needed and will develop the Oklahoma Fire Service. Many classes are submitted, and we must assess the validity of the curriculum to get the best bang for our buck. I have talked to a lot of firefighters throughout the state and asked them to submit classes. There are many talented people in our state that do an incredible job in their communities. We ask that you get the courage to present some of your successful ideas at fire school. All of us are standing on the shoulders of the ones before us and we now must elevate the next generation of firefighters. Not sure if your specialty would be leadership, training, or just basic everyday things that we all need? If you are reading this, I am talking to you specifically. I challenge you to decide what impact you can make in the fire service. We all have heard many speakers and attended many classes that have created our theories and opinions. It is now your turn to pass that along to the new generation. Young or old we all can continue to learn. I am usually asking for you to attend, which I do hope you attend, but think about the knowledge that you can transfer and impact our great state. I hope all have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
16Dec. 2019 / Jan. 2020Oklahoma Firefighter
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Join us for the 12th Annual Leadership Development Symposium!
Tippy Pierce Moore FD Retired
JAN 20–22
2020
San Marcos, Texas
Embassy Suites Hotel & Conference Center
Transform your Leadership Abilities! Choose from over 25 sessions featuring recognized experts in the fields of leadership and management The 2-1/2 day conference fee is $150 for attendees who reside outside of Texas
Event hosted by Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service
Email Updates Available!
Sign up for Leadership Symposium updates at TEEX.org/subscribe or scan QR code with your phone
VISIT ONLINE TO REGISTER & LEARN MORE
TEEX.org/LeadershipSymposium n
ORFA REport
Women’s Aux report Kendra Engle Jr Board Member
I can’t help but write this with a heavy heart after hearing of yet another firefighter who has taken his own life. Only difference is, this isn’t just another firefighter -- he was my husband’s friend. You see, they met at the IAFF Center Of Excellence while both getting help for PTSD. From what I’ve learned, Elliott met everyone at the entrance to greet them and let them know they were safe, and would even give the shirt off his back if needed. As of Oct. 31, there were 101 reported firefighters who have committed suicide, and the number is expected to reach or exceed 120 by the end of this year. That is far too many!!! Please know there is help available. People want to help you get better, not watch you become a statistic. PTSD is serious and affects a lot of people, but most cases go untreated. Sadly, it not only affects the firefighter/EMT but their family, as well. Some common symptoms of PTSD include (but are not limited to) trouble sleeping, social isolation, trouble concentrating, intrusive thoughts, irritability and feelings of self-blame (APA, 2019). Another category outlined by the APA, 2019 are reactive actions such as angry outbursts and/or behaving in reckless and self-destructive ways which are a response to an overactive sympathetic nervous system. Research has also noted there is an increased risk linked with firefighters and hazardous drinking behavior in an effort to control their symptoms. As we enter into the holiday season, I hope if you or anyone you know is struggling with PTSD that you will do yourself and your family a favor and seek help. Wishing each and everyone of you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Until next time!
Hello retired firefighters! This is the time that we turn to holidays. I always enjoy this time of the year. I enjoy the different weather that come to us this month. Some days it can be fairly warm and the next freezing cold. My grandkids love to see the snow when they come up from Cypress, Texas, for Christmas. We don’t get it very often, but more than they get in Cypress. I enjoy helping the wife with the tree and decorations. I hope that each one of you have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Just to let you know, we are still busy working on a COLA. Let’s not let the Oklahoma Legislature forget we are out here. It has been 12 years since we had one. As many of you know, they received a 35% increase due to it being nine years since they received an increase. What we are asking for is just a crumb compared to what they received. I am hoping that will give us some ability to put pressure on the Legislature to give us a much bigger COLA than the 2%. The ORFA Board approved a Corner Stone Committee, and they have put together subcommittees to work. One of these committee’s is working on membership. They have hit the ground running and have determined that we need to work on more chapters. Did you know that your city or county can start a chapter? We have some in this state and they are pretty active. We also have some that have been active, but due to several reasons, they have stopped meeting or have just quit being active. With all the newer retirees, maybe it is time for you to step up and get them back to meeting. ORFA power comes from the membership, and we all need to help these cities and counties form Chapters. Give us a call at the OSFA office and they will get you to your ORFA Board. We have info that Norman is forming a chapter now, and that is great news for ORFA. I want to say thanks to the staff of the OSFA for all the work that they do for the ORFA. Again, I thank you all for this opportunity to serve you as President.
2019-2020 ORFA Executive Board
PRESIDENT Tippy Pierce, Moore 405-924-1104 fftip@swbell.net
1ST VICE PRESIDENT George Fina, OKC 405-373-2409 gomsc38@gmail.com
2ND VICE PRESIDENT A.K. “Yogi” Cole, Tulsa 918-231-3591 ycole@ipa.net
3RD VICE PRESIDENT James Fullingim, Norman nfdchief@hotmail.com
PAST PRESIDENT Juan Rodriguez, Lawton jrod911@gmail.com
2019-2020 Women’s Auxiliary Executive Board
PRESIDENT Susan Walker 580-351-4116 sw233821@gmail.com
VICE PRESIDENT Michele Cole 918-698-4488 momachel@aol.com
JR BD MEMBER Kendra Engle 405-630-8898 kedamo10@yahoo.com
SEC/TREASURER Marti Carpenter 405-590-4608 marticarpenter@att.net
PAST PRESIDENT Erica Koch 405-308-2010 ejv97@cox.net
Oklahoma FirefighterDec. 2019 / Jan. 202017
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live long & prosper
Terrell Thompson
El Reno FD
Safety & Health Committee I would like to start out by saying that I hope everyone has had a safe and happy holiday, and everyone’s schedule has calmed down enough to start planning for the new year and all the fun memories and events it will bring to all. With the year closing and the new one just beginning, I want to extend out a challenge for self-betterment to all my brothers and sisters. I want us to challenge ourselves, and in the process hopefully our colleagues will follow the example, to pursue better mental health. The job is always changing, and even though we always pride ourselves in “adapt and overcome,” it seems as though the real challenges are ones that continue to be either displaced or the slowest to gain relevance. We continue to lose firefighters on and off duty to individuals taking their own lives, and this number continues to hold steady or climb. In this new year, I challenge all my brothers and sisters to not only assist in these issues, but help combat the numbers. There are countless resources established with programs in place, not only at places of employment, but also thirdparty individuals who are willing to reach out and assist with anyone going through a difficult time. In 2020 and forward, we need to set new goals and standards for removing the “stigma” of mental health and be positive advocates for not only our own mental health, but the brothers and sisters we work beside. In closing, I want to encourage everyone to reach out and do buddy checks in the new year. If you see a friend’s Fire or EMS Department on the news for a tough call, you hear someone on the last shift is having a rough time at home, or anything that may throw a red flag, just pick up the phone and give them a call or text and check in on them. They may just need someone to vent to, or they may need someone to help them find more appropriate help. Just letting your brothers and sisters know you care about them and you’re there for them when they need it, not when it’s too late. If anyone would like to or needs to discuss any issues or find avenues for help, please do not hesitate to reach out. I can be reached at 405-312-1841 or tthompson@cityofelreno.com. I would be happy to help. Stay safe and train hard.
Columbia Southern University is pleased to have the Oklahoma State Firefighters Association as a Learning Partner As an OSFA member, this partnership provides a reduced tuition, plus many additional benefits. And for your convenience, all programs are offered in an online format. The Learning Partner Program provides exclusive benefits to the employees/members of your organization, as well as all spouses and children. Benefits of the partnership include: • • • •
10% tuition discount on all classes and waiver of the Application Fee Textbooks provided at no cost Exclusion scholarship opportunities for Learning Partner members Complimentary evaluation of previously earned college credits and training/professional certifications for consideration of transfer credit • Complimentary access to Writing and Math specialists through Student Success Center • A dedicated landing page for Learning Partners on the CSU website for prospective students and student enrollments (http://www.columbiasouthern.edu/community/partnerships/enroll-today) ABOUT CSU Columbia Southern University is a completely online university offering associate, bachelor and master degree programs in a wide variety of disciplines. For program information, contact Christie Ball at 800-344-5021 or Christie.Ball@columbiasouthern.edu Natasha Willett
Corporate Relations Coordinator, Corporate Relations 800.977.8449 ext: 1385 21982 University Lane • Orange Beach, AL 36561 ColumbiaSouthern.edu
Seeing You Around The Oklahoma Firefighter newspaper is starting a fun, new feature to increase the awareness of the popularity of our OSFA Car Tags.
If you are out and about and see a firefighter car tag, snap a pic of it with your smart phone and email it to osfa@ osfa.info or send it to an OSFA staff member.
We don’t need an exact location, just a city or neighborhood. A few have been spotted in the past few weeks. Let’s look for more! Spotted in Boise City
Spotted in Del City
Spotted on I-240 and Sooner Road in OKC
Spotted on I-35 North headed towards Stillwater
18Dec. 2019 / Jan. 2020Oklahoma Firefighter
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Page to ponder Larry Hansen
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Chris Carlisle
Oklahoma City FD
Safety & Health Committee
Elk City FD Chaplain
Although it is fun to think about the future of the fire service and try to imagine what it might look like in the years ahead, there are also some things that will never change. People will always be our most valuable asset and yes, the fire service is a dangerous occupation and always will be. The fire service has evolved during my career from ¾ boots and long coats during the daytime to full PPE on all fires day or night. Limited contamination protection to latex gloves, eye protection and masks on EMS calls. No Critical Incident Stress Teams to Critical Incident Stress Management and Peer Support teams. Man-saver bars on apparatus to fully enclosed cabs. Modern science versus the way we’ve always done things tactically. Dirty, smoke-stained bunker gear to immediate decontamination of bunker gear on incident scenes and clean cabs. So, whether it’s walking into a fire, wading into floodwaters or prying open a smoking car, you can rest assured that the courageous men and women will always put the lives of others before their own, yesterday, today and tomorrow. Because at the end of the day, courage is at the heart of what it takes to be a successful firefighter. Courage to do the right thing. Courage to stand up for your beliefs and accept the beliefs of others when they are right, and you are wrong. Courage to train daily, to be open to new ideas or to try new tactics. Courage to affect a rescue when all odds are against you. Courage to stand down when all is lost and not risk anyone else. As a firefighter, your job is to put the safety of citizens ahead of everything else, without unduly compromising your own safety and the safety of other firefighters. In a fire or EMS emergency, we are the only hope for the citizens in mortal danger. If we don’t save them, nobody will, and only the most courageous among firefighters are fit for that sort of responsibility. Are you willing to accept that responsibility even though you may get injured physically and/or mentally, possibly develop cancer, heart or lung disease? Are you willing to be courageous or to do you want to stand on the sidelines and watch the other firefighters work? Firefighters by nature are courageous. They know that there is a chance that things might not go their way. Yet, they push through and do it anyway. General Norman Schwarzkopf once said, “True courage is being afraid, and going ahead and doing your job anyhow, that’s what courage is.” It’s your decision to have an all-in attitude and an all-out effort to be a successful firefighter. My question for you to ponder ... Do you accept the responsibility and have the courage to be a firefighter even though we can’t make all the dangers go away through work practices, engineering controls or administrative policies and procedures? It’s your decision to have an all-in attitude and an all-out effort to be a successful firefighter. Be safe.
OKLAHOMA PUBLIC EDUCATION SUMMIT MARCH 6, 2020
At Children’s Center Rehabilitation Hospital (6800 NW 39th Expressway, Bethany, OK 73008)
The Latest Fire Trends, Technology and Resources
G. Keith Bryant
Fire Administrator U.S. Fire Administration
Torine Creppy
President Safe Kids Worldwide
Dr. Christopher Lentz
Medical Director Paul Silverstein Burn Center
Kelly Ransdell
Reg. Education Specialist National Fire Protection Assoc.
Sponsored by National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) & Oklahoma Firefighters Public Education Advisory Committee (OSFA) FREE EVENT
•
8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
•
Chaplain’s corner
LUNCH INCLUDED
SPACE IS LIMITED, REGISTER TODAY at www.osfa.info
Jesus “On Scene” In the fire service, we are all very familiar with what it means to be “on scene.” When the call comes in, we quickly move into action to get on scene as quickly and safely as we can. We go there because there is either a fire, an accident or a medical emergency. The bottom line is there is someone in a bad way in need of our help. They need rescued from their bad situation. John 1:1-2 (CSB) says,”In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.” So, from the very beginning, Jesus was with the Heavenly Father reigning in Heaven. When sin entered the world through Adam and Eve, mankind needed rescuing. We were helpless, dead in our sins and unable to rescue ourselves. No matter what we did or didn’t do, we couldn’t and we can’t rescue ourselves. We were in a spiritually deadly situation and in desperate need of rescue. That’s when Jesus left Heaven where he reigned and came to earth to rescue mankind from their sin. He came “on scene” humbly as a baby in a manger. John 1:11-13 (CSB) says,”He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, he gave them the right to be children of God, to those who believe in his name, who were born, not of natural descent, or of the will of the flesh, or of the will of man, but of God.” Also, Colossians 1:13 says,”He has rescued us from the domain of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of the Son he loves.” You see, Jesus came on scene to this earth to rescue you and me. He came because of His love for us (John 3:16). His love was so great that He couldn’t stand not being with us for all eternity. He came laying down His life so that we may live. The Bible says in John 1:12 that those who believe in Him and receive Him, He gives them the right to become children of God. We call that being saved. Do you realize that you are a sinner and are in need of being spiritually rescued? Are you ready to turn from your sin and trust Jesus Christ to be your Lord and Savior? If you are, here is a simple prayer that you can pray that will just be a guide to help you put words to the faith in you: “Jesus, thank you for leaving Heaven and coming ‘on scene’ to save me from my sin. I have sinned against You and I desperately need Your forgiveness. “Jesus, I believe that You are the Son of God, I believe that You died on the cross to pay for my sin, and I believe that You rose from the grave on the third day. “I ask you to forgive me of my sin and save my soul. I receive You as my Lord and Savior. Thank You for saving me! “In Jesus Name, Amen.” If you just prayed that prayer by faith Colossians 1:13 just took place in your life. You have been rescued, and your spiritual citizenship has been changed to Heaven! Welcome to the family of God!
To post prayer requests and find up-to-date information on the Oklahoma Fire Chaplains, go to www.okfirechaplains.org
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Oklahoma FirefighterDec. 2019 / Jan. 202019
NFPA REPORT Bob Sullivan National Fire Protection Assoc. SW Regional Director bsullivan@nfpa.org • 720-237-1752
Residential Sprinklers (Part 5)
Happy Holidays OSFA! In Part 5 of this series, we’ll focus in on the code requirements for residential fire sprinklers in one- and two-family dwellings, and modifications to those requirements. I think we would all agree that reading codes is definitely not the most exciting thing in the world (and this is coming from a “code guy”, as I’ve worked with the fire and building codes for almost 20 years). So the goal here is to boil it down to simple language and hit the highlights of the conversation as it relates to our ongoing series on residential sprinklers. The fire, building, and residential codes in the State of Oklahoma are established by the Oklahoma Uniform Building Code Commission (OUBCC, www.ok.gov/oubcc). The OUBCC’s mission is “to establish minimum statewide codes affecting or relating to the built environment for the protection of life and property, to be utilized throughout the state, assuring public health, safety, and welfare.” The currently-adopted code in OK which involves residential fire sprinklers is the 2015 Edition of the International Residential Code (IRC). As part of the code adoption process, this code has been modified through an amendment process, and all of this information is available at the following link: https://www.ok.gov/oubcc/Codes_&_ Rules/Adopted_Building_Codes/index.html . The base requirements for residential fire sprinklers in new oneand two-family dwellings are addressed in the 2015 IRC, Chapter 3, Section R313.2. The requirements there state: “An automatic residential fire sprinkler system shall be installed in one- and two-family dwellings.” There is an exception, which states: “An automatic residential fire sprinkler system shall not be required for additions or alterations to existing buildings that are not already provided with an automatic residential sprinkler system.” During the last state code adoption in Oklahoma, these requirements were moved to a section in the code called “Appendix V, Automatic Fire Systems,” along with a comment that explains that Appendix V is not adopted as part of the statewide minimum code for residential construction within the State of Oklahoma. So what does all of this mean? In simple terms, the basic code requirements for residential fire sprinklers in one- and two-family dwellings are not currently part of the OK State code adoption. Therefore, residential fire sprinklers are not required to be installed in newly-constructed homes in OK. This is unless the specific jurisdiction, in which the homes are being built, requires residential sprinklers as part of their own local code amendment to the state code, which would be arranged through a local code amendment process in that jurisdiction. So in other words, unless your local jurisdiction requires residential sprinklers in new homes, there is no other state code requirement that requires them either. As a result, most new homes in OK will continue to be built without sprinklers, and the issues which we’ve addressed in the previous articles (faster fire growth in today’s homes; an aging population which will have less time to escape those fires; firefighter exposure to greater amounts of carcinogens in the smoke in home fires, etc.) will continue to develop as more homes are built. Stay tuned for the next article in this series, where we’ll discuss how this situation can be addressed through educational efforts to help build support for residential fire sprinklers. I hope everyone has a safe and happy holiday season!
Owner Chris Hayes is a Retired Volunteer Fire Fighter and has been rebuilding Transmissions for more than 30 years. HHH Transmission diagnoses and rebuilds brush truck heavy duty transmissions. We welcome the opportunity to work with your fire boards and purchasing departments!
Oklahoma’s Source for Service and Repair for All Transmissions
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www.osufst.org
20Dec. 2019 / Jan. 2020Oklahoma Firefighter
1723 West Tyler, Stillwater, OK 74078 • (800) 304-5727 • (405) 744-5727 • Fax: (405) 744-7377
December 2019 / January 2020 CLASS SCHEDULE Current as of November 20, 2019
Courses are subject to change • Call or check online for changes in courses
All courses are FREE unless otherwise noted
Hazardous Materials Technician Refresher Part B (71342) Dec. 3 (8 hours) McAlester Fire Department
AHIMT - Strike Team / Task Force Leader L-984 (75013) Dec. 9-11 (24 hours) Tulsa Police Academy
NIMS ICS 300 Intermediate ICS for Expanding Incidents (75666) Dec. 3-4 (16 hours) Western Technology Center - Elk City
NIMS ICS 300 Intermediate ICS for Expanding Incidents (76248) Dec. 9-10 (16 hours) Oklahoma City Fire Training Center
Wildland Fire Fighting: Fundamentals (76298) Dec. 3-5 (16 hours) Pioneer Technology Center - Ponca City
Hazardous Materials Technician Refresher Part B (71380) Dec. 10 (8 hours) Muskogee Fire Department
Hazardous Materials Technician Refresher Part B (71343) Dec. 4 (8 hours) McAlester Fire Department Hazardous Materials Technician Refresher Part B (71344) Dec. 5 (8 hours) McAlester Fire Department Flammable Gas Emergencies (LPG) (75490) Dec. 5 (12 hours) • $2000 - All Participants Tulsa Community College Northeast Hazardous Materials Operations: Core Competencies (76411) Dec. 6-8 (24 hours) Cashion Fire Department Fire Fighter I Academy (76419) Dec. 6 - March 22 (96 hours) • $16500 - All Participants Kiamichi Technology Center - Durant Fire and Emergency Instructor 1 Hybrid (76161) Dec. 7 - Jan. 4 • $1000 - All Participants Northwest Tech Center - Fairview Vehicle Rescue Technician Level I Part A (76172) Dec. 7-8 (16 hours) • $1000 - All Participants • $1000 - Non-Member Autry Technology Center - Enid Hazardous Materials Awareness for WMDHazMat Emergencies (76235) Dec. 7 (8 hours) Piedmont Fire Department Station #1 Hazardous Materials Technician Refresher Part B (71379) Dec. 9 (8 hours) Muskogee Fire Department
Hazardous Materials Technician Refresher Part B (71381) Dec. 11 (8 hours) Muskogee Fire Department NIMS ICS 300 Intermediate ICS for Expanding Incidents (75656) Dec. 11-12 (16 hours) Ponca City Police Department Volunteer Fire Fighting Practices/Basic Fire Fighting Skills Train the Trainer (76294) Dec. 11 (4 hours) Kingston Fire Department Hazardous Materials Technician Refresher Part B (71985) Dec. 13 (8 hours) Yukon Fire-EMS Training Center Vehicle Rescue Technician Level I Part B (76176) Dec. 14-15 (16 hours) Canadian Valley Tech Center-El Reno Hazardous Materials Awareness for WMDHazMat Emergencies (76322) Dec. 14 (8 hours) Antlers Fire/EMS Department Wildland Fire Fighting: Fundamentals (76414) Dec. 14-15 (16 hours) Mid-America Tech Center - Wayne Hazardous Materials Operations Certification (76413) Dec. 15 (8 hours) Cashion Fire Department Hazardous Materials Technician Refresher Part B (71382) Dec. 16 (8 hours) Oklahoma City Fire Training Center
Fire Officer II: NFPA 1021, 2014 Edition (75611) Dec. 16-19 (40 hours) • $3000 - Okla. Emergency Responders • $5000 - Out-of-state Responders Edmond Fire Department EMS Instructor Workshop / Bridge (76250) Dec. 16 (8 hours) • $500 - All Participants Midwest City Fire Department Hazardous Materials Technician Refresher Part B (71383) Dec. 17 (8 hours) Oklahoma City Fire Training Center Hazardous Materials Technician Refresher Part B (71384) Dec. 18 (8 hours) Oklahoma City Fire Training Center OEM-FEMA G.191: ICS-EOC Interface (76343) Dec. 20 (8 hours) El Reno Public Safety Center Oklahoma Emergency Vehicle Drivers Training (75264) Dec. 25 (8 hours) Jones Fire Department Hazardous Materials Awareness for WMDHazMat Emergencies (76183) Jan. 4 (8 hours) Jenks Fire Department Hazardous Materials Technician Refresher Part B (71351) Jan. 7 (8 hours) Sapulpa Fire Department OEM-FEMA G.557: Rapid Assessment Workshop (76342) Jan. 7 (8 hours) Comanche Co EOC - Great Plains Tech OEM-FEMA G.205: Recovery From Disaster, the Local Government Role (76457) Jan. 7-8 (16 hours) Broken Arrow Public Safety Complex Hazardous Materials Technician Refresher Part B (71353) Jan. 8 (8 hours) Sapulpa Fire Department Hazardous Materials Technician Refresher Part B (71355) Jan. 9 (8 hours) Sapulpa Fire Department
OEM-FEMA G.205: Recovery From Disaster, the Local Government Role (76452) Jan. 9-10 (16 hours) High Plains Tech Center - Woodward Hazardous Materials Operations: Core Competencies (76186) Jan. 10-12 (24 hours) Jenks Fire Department AHIMT - Logistics Section Chief (LSC) L-967 (75015) Jan. 13-17 (40 hours) Tulsa Police Academy OEM - EMI Basic Academy (76360) Jan. 13-March 20 (112 hours) Canadian Valley Tech - Chickasha L0101: Foundations of Emergency Management (76362) Jan. 13-17 (40 hours) Canadian Valley Tech - Chickasha Emergency Services Instructor (Instructor I) (76507) Jan. 13-16 (32 hours) • $3000 - All Participants Claremore Fire Department Hazardous Materials Technician Refresher Part B (71367) Jan. 14 (8 hours) Great Plains Tech Center - Lawton Wildland Fire Fighting: Fundamentals (76429) Jan. 14-18 (16 hours) Kingston Fire Department Hazardous Materials Technician Refresher Part B (71368) Jan. 15 (8 hours) Great Plains Tech Center - Lawton Hazardous Materials Technician Refresher Part B (71370) Jan. 16 (8 hours) Great Plains Tech Center - Lawton Exterior Offensive Fire Attack / Structural Fire Scene Size Up (75805) Jan. 18 (8 hours) Northwest Tech Center - Fairview Fire Officer I: NFPA 1021, 2014 Edition (75811) Jan. 18-26 (48 hours) Central Tech - Drumright
CLASS SCHEDULE CONTINUED
Emergency Services Instructor (Instructor I) (76387) Jan. 18-26 (32 hours) • $3000 - All Participants Ardmore Fire Department Vehicle Rescue Technician Level I Part A (76430) Jan. 18-19 (16 hours) Coweta Fire Department Hazardous Materials Operations Certification (76188) Jan. 19 (8 hours) Jenks Fire Department Hazardous Materials Technician Refresher Part B (74071) Jan. 21 (8 hours) Durant Fire Department OEM-FEMA G.191: ICS-EOC Interface (76378) Jan. 21 (8 hours) Pittsburg Co. Emergency Management Emergency Services Instructor (Instructor I) (76389) Jan. 21-24 (32 hours) • $3000 - All Participants Edmond Fire Department Hazardous Materials Technician Refresher Part B (74074) Jan. 22 (8 hours) Durant Fire Department Vehicle Rescue Technician Level I Part B (76246) Jan. 22-23 (16 hours) Sapulpa Fire Department Hazardous Materials Technician Refresher Part B (74075) Jan. 23 (8 hours) Durant Fire Department Hazardous Materials Operations: Core Competencies (76056) Jan. 27-28 (24 hours) Moore Fire Department NIMS ICS 300 provided by OKOHS (76154) Jan. 27-28 (16 hours) Carl Albert Indian Health - Ada Hazardous Materials Technician Refresher Part B (72249) Jan. 28 (8 hours) Sand Springs Fire Department Hazardous Materials Technician Refresher Part B (72250) Jan. 29 (8 hours) Sand Springs Fire Department Hazardous Materials Technician Refresher Part B (72251) Jan. 30 (8 hours) Sand Springs Fire Department Hazardous Materials Operations Certification (76058) Jan. 31 (8 hours) Moore Fire Department
Caroline Reed Appointed Director of Fire Service Training at OSU
Oklahoma FirefighterDec. 2019 / Jan. 202021
Fire Service Training (FST) and the College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology (CEAT) at Oklahoma State University are pleased to announce Caroline Reed as the new director of FST. Reed has been with FST for 16 years serving in multiple capacities. She served as the assistant director from 2013 to 2019, administrative manager from 2004-2013, and certification coordinator from 2003-2004. Reed has been contributing to OSU’s fire protection programs for more than two decades. She has earned three degrees, including an associate’s degree in fire protection and safety engineering (2002), a bachelor’s degree in organizational communications (1995) and a master’s degree in occupational education (1998). She has written numerous grants generating over $3M in funding, including the Susan Harwood Capacity Building Grant, the FEMA Assistance to Firefighters Grants, the FEMA States National Fire Academy Grant, the PHMSA Grant, grants from the Oklahoma State Health Department and the Fire Fighter Safety Solutions. She holds certifications in Emergency Medical Technician, Fire Fighter 1, Instructor 1, Suites for Admin Finance 1, and E212 Unified Hazard Mitigation Assistance Grant Programs. She currently serves on the OSU-OKC Fire Protection Advisory Boards, Oklahoma All Hazards Incident Management team, and is an AHIMT Oversight Committee member. She also serves as an IFSAC Chair for the Information Technology Committee. Reed has been deployed on various occasions for emergencies, including the Moore tornadoes, Freedom Fire, Hurricane Harvey in Rockport Texas, and the 2019 floods in Oklahoma. “Caroline has always demonstrated her dedication to the emergency responder community with the highest level of professionalism,” said Johnny Vaughn, deputy director of the Oklahoma Office of Homeland Security. “Being an Oklahoma firefighter herself, she has always been dedicated to bringing quality training to all levels of the fire service, career or volunteer with the goal of safety for the responders. She has always been a strong supporter for the Oklahoma Office of Homeland Security and continually works with the Training and Exercise Division to provide training opportunities for the state”. Assistant Dean of CEAT Ed Kirtley praises Reed, “Caroline has been with FST for many years and understands the needs of Oklahoma’s emergency responders.” Reed came to OSU to play softball for the Cowgirls, winning a College World Series placement ring during her pitching days. OSU’s fire service academic programs attracted her to Stillwater when she was a heavily recruited athlete in Olympia, Washington. FST is housed within CEAT and operates as an extension unit of the college. FST has a legislative mandate to train Oklahoma’s emergency responders, and provides Oklahoma emergency responders a broad spectrum of training ranging from the basic skills to more advanced specialized topics. FST’s long-standing commitment of service to Oklahoma paid and volunteer firefighters extends to emergency responders outside of the traditional realm. In January 1997, FST created the Industrial Section to serve emergency responders in commercial, industrial, institutional and governmental entities. From industrial fire brigade fundamentals, to more advanced topics in fire, rescue, incident management, industrial medic, hazardous materials and response to terrorism, FST takes innovative market oriented approaches to serve
the industry’s emerging demands for first responder training.
n
fire service training Caroline Reed OSU FST Director
creed@osufst.org • 405-744-5727
Greetings Everyone!
I would like to thank all those who have partnered with us to provide training to the firefighters and emergency responders of Oklahoma. We will continue to support our partnerships and form new ones along the way. The Oklahoma Fire Service today is in a unique era of cooperation, and it is my hope that this continues in the future. Together we can accomplish great things for the betterment of all who serve.
During the past few months of transition, our department was awarded another Susan Harwood grant and an AFG grant for a new much-needed tow vehicle. Other new items that are in the works include new curriculums for Hazardous Materials Awareness and Operations, Inspector II, and revised Fire Fighter I and II. We will continue to provide our current list of programs, as well. Our conferences dates are solid for the spring. Here is a list so you can save the dates: n February 14-15
Ft. Sill Destry Horton Wildland School
n February 21-23
Camp Gruber
n March 25-27
REMMS conference Enid
n April 3-5
Durant Fire School
n May 7-9
OSFA State Fire School
n July 24-26
Weatherford Mid Year
On a personal note: Thank you for all the warm congratulation and offers of continued support as the new Director of Fire Service Training. As always if you have any questions or concerns please do not hesitate to give us a call. We are here to serve. I also want to wish everyone a Merry Chirstmas and Happy New Year.
22Dec. 2019 / Jan. 2020Oklahoma Firefighter ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF Chase Rankin Executive Director
James Reynolds
6601 Broadway Ext., Oklahoma City, OK 73116 405-522-4600 • 1-800-525-7461 toll free • 405-522-4643 fax www.okfirepen.state.ok.us
n MEETING (October 18, 2019) Members Present: Mike Kelley, Cliff Davidson, Dana Cramer, Jim Ed Nimmo, Dereck Cassady,, Brent Bryant, Brent Baggett, Janet Kohls, Brandy Manek. Members Absent: Eric Harlow, Tippy Pierce, Matt Lay, Buddy Combs Others Present: Chase Rankin, Executive Director; Timothy Vanhorn, Assistant Director; James Reynolds, Assistant Director; Terri Williams, Executive Secretary; Marc Edwards, Legal Counsel; Troy Brown & Tim Nash, &CO; Mariko Boswell, Neil Reiner and Sonali Wilson, PIMCO; Kyle Vanourny & Tracy DeAndrea Jennifer Schmidt/Norman - Application For “Disability In The Line Of Duty” Pension, Effective May 3, 2019: Motion Was Made By Cramer And Seconded By Nimmo To Approve The Application For “Disability In The Line Of Duty”, Effective May 3, 2019. Ayes: Kelley, Nimmo, Davidson, Cramer, Cassady, Manek, Kohls, Bryant And Baggett. Nayes: None. Motion Carried. Mark S. Edwards/Oklahoma City – Application For “Disability In The Line Of Duty” Pension, Effective October 1, 2019: Motion Was Made By Cramer And Seconded By Davidson To Approve The Application For “Disability In Line Of Duty”, Effective October 1, 2019. Ayes: Kelley, Nimmo, Davidson, Cramer, Cassady, Manek, Kohls, Bryant And Baggett. Nayes: None. Motion Carried. Eldon Fullerton/Oklahoma City - Application For Disability In The Line Of Duty” Pension, Effective October 1, 2019: Motion Was Made By Cramer And Baggett To Approve The Application For “Disability In The Line Of Duty”, Effective October 1, 2019. Ayes: Kelley, Nimmo, Davidson, Cramer, Cassady, Manek, Kohls, Bryant And Baggett. Nayes: None. Motion Carried. Don W. Mccarthey/Oklahoma City – Application For “Disability In The Line Of Duty” Pension, Effective October 1, 2019: Motion Was Made By Cramer And Seconded By Davidson To Approve The Application For “Disability In The Line Of Duty”, Effective October 1, 2019. Ayes: Kelley, Nimmo, Davidson, Cramer, Cassady, Manek, Kohls, Bryant And Baggett. Nayes: None. Motion Carried. Bryant D. Baker/Seminole – Application For “Disability In The Line Of Duty” Pension, Effective October 1, 2019: Motion Was Made By Cramer And Seconded By Baggett To Approve The Application For “Disability In The Line Of Duty”, Effective October 1, 2019. Ayes: Kelley, Nimmo, Davidson, Cramer, Cassady, Manek, Kohls, Bryant, And Baggett. Nayes: None. Motion Carried. Scott Crow/Muskogee - Request To Modify Pension From “Service” To “Disability In The Line Of Duty”: Motion Was Made By Nimmo And Seconded By Cassady To Approve The Request Of Crow To Modify From “Service” To “Disability In The Line Of Duty”. Ayes: Kelley, Nimmo, Davidson, Cassady, Bryant And Baggett. Nayes: Cramer, Brandy And Kohls. Motion Failed. Motion Was Made By Cramer And Seconded By Kohls To Send Crow To The State Doctor. Ayes: Kelley, Nimmo, Davidson, Bryant, Cramer, Cassady, Manek, Kohls And Baggett. Nayes: None. Motion Carried. Mark Argo/Oklahoma City - Request To Modify Pension From “Service” To “Disability In The Line Of Duty”: Motion Was Made By Cramer And Seconded By Baggett To Approve The Request Of Argo To Modify From “Service” To “Disability In The Line Of Duty”. Ayes: Kelley, Nimmo, Davidson, Bryant, Cramer, Bryant, Cassady, Manek, Kohls And Baggett. Motion Carried. John J. Hansen Jr./Oklahoma City - Request To Modify Pension From “Service” To “Disability In The Line Of Duty”: Motion Was Made By Cramer And Seconded By Davidson To Approve The Request Of Hansen Jr. To Modify From “Service” To “Disability In The Line Of Duty”. Ayes: Kelley, Nimmo, Davidson, Cramer, And Baggett. Nayes: Cassady, Kohls And Manek. Abstain: Bryant. Motion Failed. Request To Declare In The Line Of Duty Death/Marty Osborne/ Claremore: Motion Was Made By Cramer And Seconded By Nimmo To Approve The Request To Declare In The Line Of Duty Death For Marty Osborne. Ayes: Kelley, Nimmo, Davidson, Cramer, Cassady, Manek, Kohls, Bryant, And Baggett. Nayes: None. Motion Carried.
Terri Williams Executive Secretary
Than Dinh
Assistant Director (COO)
Controller
Tim Van Horn
Keely Swonger
Assistant Director (CFO)
Assistant Controller
Martha Pierce Member Services Coordinator
Vicki Mulbery
Accounts Payable Administrator
Thelisha Clark
Records Administrator
Latoya Battle Data Processor
n CONSENT AGENDA (November 15, 2019) CHECKS TERMINATED IN OCTOBER 2019 (Deceased):
APPLICATION FOR SURVIVING SPOUSE (CONTINUATION):
Bartlesville Byars Delaware Elk City Enid McLoud Miami Miami Okarche Poteau Sapulpa Tulsa Tulsa
11/01/2019 11/01/2019 11/01/2019 11/01/2019 11/01/2019 11/01/2019 11/01/2019 11/01/2019 1/01/2019 11/01/2019 11/01/2019
Martelle Hemphill Burl Hanks Don Cartwright Julie D. Luttrell M. Ruth Kelley R.D. Stacy Robert J. Fansler Georgia Sherad Wilfred E. Rund Frances L. Tanner Bobby G. Alberding Cathrine A. Essley Jimmy M. Hamblin
$5,000.00 Death Benefit: Altus Lowell-Tims Funeral On Behalf Of Thomas F. Sadler Amber Judy Null, Widow Of Don Null Bartlesville David Family Funeral On Behalf Of Jimmy Lawrence Camargo Nicki Day, Widow Of Dewayne E. Day Carmen Ladonna Harvey, Widow Of Don E. Harvey Claremore Rice Funeral On Behalf Of Marty Osborne Delaware Stumpff Funeral On Behalf Of Shirley D Cartwright Sr. Enid Marilyn Hendryx, Widow Of Harry G. Hendryx Goldsby Krisopher W. Wilson, Rep Estate Of Randall W. Wilson Minco Huber-Reynolds Funeral On Behalf Of Jasper B. Davis Nichols Hills Wanda N. Farber, Widow Of Kenneth R. Farber Oak Grove Janie Morris, Death Recipient Of Tyler Morris Okeene Gregory James Brownsworth For Estate Of Willard and Rita Brownsworth OKC Huber-Reynolds Funeral On Behalf Of Charles Kindrick OKC Linda A. Goddard, Widow Of Joe N. Goddard Roosevelt Kellene Henson, Widow Of William K. Henson Sand Springs Traditions Funeral On Behalf Of Curtis G. Davidson Sapulpa Hutchens Maples Matherly on Behalf Of Billy F. Galatian Sapulpa Smith Funeral on Behalf Of Bobby G. Alberding, Sr. Tulsa Mowery Funeral On Behalf Of Owen W. Purcell Tulsa Sien-Shelton Funeral On Behalf Of Jimmy Hamblin Tyrone Cordelia M. Stalcup, Widow Of Richard D. Stalcup Wilburton Ann I. Bullard, Widow Of Vernon Bullard Woodward Billings Funeral On Behalf Of Noce Evans Application For Vested Benefit: 11/01/2016 11/01/2016
Sharon Wagoner
Randall L. Lively James B. Roberts
Carman Ladonna Harvey, Widow Of Don E. Harvey Empire City Kimberley S. Dixon, Widow Of Chester V. Dixon Jr. Jenks Judy Catlett, Widow Of Don R. Catlett Muskogee Tami D. Walden, Widow Of Roger S. Walden OKC Linda Goddard, Widow Of Joe N. Goddard Prague Kimberly Behrnes, Widow Of Harold S. Behrnes Sentinel Earlene Chandler, Widow Of Jimmy Chandler Sterling Janice E. Simpson, Widow Of Victor W. Simpson Stroud June Carpenter, Widow Of John R. Carpenter Tyrone Cordelia Stalcup, Widow Of Richard D. Stalcup Wakita Linda Judy, Widow Of James D. Judy
Application For Service Pension: 10/17/2019 11/01/2019 11/01/2019 11/01/2019 11/01/2019 11/01/2019 08/01/2019 11/01/2019 11/01/2019 11/01/2019 11/01/2019 11/01/2019 11/01/2019 11/01/2019 11/01/2019 11/01/2019 11/01/2019 11/01/2019 11/01/2019 11/01/2019 11/01/2019 11/01/2019 10/14/2019
Agra Richard L. Roe Bluejacket Robert Brigstock Butler Kenneth Johnson Colcord Tracey A. Denny Colcord Troy K. Long Cushing Christopher Pixler Dibble Richard D. Searcy El Reno Mark Schweitzer Enid Corbin Baker III Freedom Kevin D. Wares Nashoba Mitchell T. Davis Nelson Danny Antwine Nelson Diane Antwine Nelson Timothy E. Carter Nelson Gary S. House Nelson Eddie Mack Nelson Arlis L. Young Norman Chad R. Vanis OKC Dustin J. Renner Roosevelt Oliver K. Settles Quapaw Billie E. Kerley Valliant Terry L. Voss Wewoka Shannon Smith
Refund Of Contributions: Derek Rhodes Elk City Hired: 12/27/2007 Term: 06/10/2009 Andrew Brooks Jenks Hired: 11/30/2015 Term: 10/03/2019 John Janson Lawton Hired: 03/31/2010 Term: 10/20/2019 Logan Ward Oak Cliff Hired: 12/22/2014 Term: 07/16/2018
ENTRANCE INTO PENSION SYSTEM: Altus Altus Coalgate Harrah Hugo Idabel Jenks Jenks Midwest City Moore Moore Moore Moore OKC OKC OKC OKC OKC OKC OKC OKC OKC OKC OKC OKC OKC OKC OKC OKC OKC OKC OKC OKC OKC OKC OKC OKC OKC OKC OKC OKC OKC OKC OKC OKC Sperry Stillwater Tulsa Tulsa Tulsa Tulsa Tulsa Tulsa Tulsa Tulsa Tulsa Tulsa Tulsa Tulsa Tulsa Tulsa Tulsa Tulsa Tulsa Tulsa Wewoka Wewoka Wewoka Woodward
Colby Cusher Chance J. Green Dalton Thompson Collin Bozarth Craig Blancett Chade Dale Tyler Baxter Emily Loveday Ashley Duncan Jakob Bell Seth Johnson Cade Moxley Clay Trotter Zackary Ashton Leonard Bruster Wyatt Bradbury Anthony Buckley John Coffman Joshua Harris Daren Hays Shane Henderson Garrett Hight Eric Jamison Adam Jeremias Matthew King Matthew Larsen Kevin Lassen Jason Lauhton Clayton Lee Jesus Mendoza Tyler Mills Jordon Montierth Nathan Murphy Jose Hernandez Queszada Alberto Ramirez John Ramsey Timothy Robinson Keaton Rogers Zachary Savage Leith Steely Cory Stidger Blake Taylor Connor Vaughan Trent Wauters Justin Williamson Brady Kelly Jennifer Inciarte Murphy W. Braden Nolan R. Boyd Blake E. Burd Kyle R. Burks Robert N. Cantrell Zachary Crow Allison P. Griffon Stanley Lawson Phillip B. Lee Harrison E. Moseby Hayden A. Moseby Coleman R. Parons Marcus L. Shadowens Cash T. Sivadon Zack J. Stamper Jacob C. Stewart Jonathan Villanveva Lane A. Williams Bryce Ferrell Greg Hellman Austin Peters Michael Wickware
Oklahoma FirefighterDec. 2019 / Jan. 202023
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OSFA Executive Board Highlights
Roll Call: Mike Kelley, present and presiding; Eric Harlow, present; Cliff Davidson, present; Jim Ed Nimmo, present; Dereck Cassady, present; Tippy Pierce (ORFA), present. Others: Steve Lumry, Sheri Nickel, Gene Brown, Trisha Chain, Caroline Reed, Don Armes, Julia Jernigan, Eric Hamilton, Bruce Anthony. Guests: Les McGee, Art Cotton Presentation: Medical Air Services Association (MASA) Medical Transport Solutions – McGee MASA MTS is a division of MASA Global; they are a membership group that provides medical emergency transportation solutions for any ground and any air transport all across the U.S. and Canada. They are offering two plans, both billed through businesses who offer insurance to their employees. Lumry stated MASA MTS was suggested as an OSFA membership benefit by a member, was brought before the Membership Committee, and was approved for consideration by the Executive Board. Museum Fundraising Update: Cotton Cotton gave an update on victories, pending victories, and challenges in the fundraising efforts for the Museum expansion. He expressed disappointment with the lack of traction and is still pitching to as many organizations he has contacts for. Please let him or Lumry know if there is an organization you would like contacted. Correspondence: Thank you cards for Stavros Scholarship winners; thank you cards from Zachgo family and Erick Reynolds. Fire Marshal Commission Report: Lumry The Fire Marshal’s office will be represented at the Public Education Summit. In an effort to shorten the Commission’s meetings; Carl Hickman informed Lumry an OSFA monthly report was not required, but welcomed if necessary. Commission discussed legislation and legislative tracking programs. They are interested in restarting the Fire Marshal article in the Oklahoma Firefighter. Kelley stated the annual trip to Washington D.C. was very productive. Fire Service Training Report: Reed Reed has officially been named FST Director and the organization has received a new OSHA grant. Event schedule includes the Fort Sill fire school (Feb. 14-15); Camp Gruber (Feb. 21-23); REMS meeting in Enid (March 25-27); Durant regional fire school (April 3-5); and Weatherford Mid-Year Conference (July 2426). FST is currently watching the progression of NFPA 1000. Committee Reports: n Legislative: Lumry The Motor Vehicle Accident subcommittee met to discuss potential legislation involving the practice of vehicle accident billing and has approved potential legislative language to be presented to the full committee. n Safety & Health: Nickel Committee continued discussion on PFAS and agreed to help coordinate a 5K fun run. n Educational Advisory: Lumry, Nickel Greta Hurt has reported that TCC Continuing Education has agreed to host this year’s classes and should continue to do so in the future. Nine classes have been submitted for the school to date.
November 14, 2019
n Benevolent: Lumry Committee is reporting current/former firefighter passings and has expressed interest in helping deliver benefit checks to families. They will present at the OFCA’s Pre-Conference Workshop to inform fire chiefs about their available resources. n Membership: Lumry Committee approved two potential benefits: MASA (with continued negotiation), & Columbia Southern University partner. n EMS: Harlow Committee discussed Department of Health inspections and licensure levels, GEMS Medicaid supplemental funding, and upcoming EMS administrative rules changes. Lumry stated the DOH’s EMS Rules Committee is discussing setting attainable rules for EMRA agencies. n County Sales Tax: Lumry Pressure was renewed on state auditor, who will encourage the attorney general’s office to complete the given questions. n Public Education: Brown Committee is adjusting their curriculum and will present to the Department of Education again. The smoke trailer will have its stickers redone and be ready to loan out after the New Year. A donated tow vehicle for the trailer is in the works. Museum Report: Brown Museum has added a display showcasing aspects of the job not involving fire, including the shallow-water dive helmet, a line- throwing gun, rescue helmet and information about USAR teams. A meeting is set with the Oklahoma Historical Society to discuss a partnership that would include storing all Museum photos on their website in a searchable format. The QR codes around the museum have been popular; the museum is an available charity organization on Amazon Smile. Oklahoma City has received a grant to refurbish all centennial clocks and will do so with a five-year warranty; Board discussed placement of centennial clock. n Museum Expansion Committee: Suggested donation lead - dealerships who have sold brush rigs to departments. Volunteer Recruitment & Retention Report: Nickel Three classes have graduated within the last month and have received positive media coverage, which is creating more interest. The last day of the grant year is Nov. 28; the class pass rate is 95%. Two Firefighter-I classes will be starting: Durant on Dec.6 and Ponca City in February; a Guymon class is in the works. Nickel is working with OSU to get the Firefighter-II classes rolled out that are included in the new SAFER grant. NVFC Report: Nickel Davidson and Nickel attended the fall board meeting in Augusta, GA and reported it was a great meeting; NVFC has asked Nickel to represent them on the NFPA 1000 Committee; NVFC is working on their Lavender Ribbon Report. OFCA Report: Anthony The OFCA Winter Workshop will be Jan. 22-24; the first day’s agenda will focus on the introductory phase of being a chief. The 2020 Conference will be April 8-10 at the Grady County Fairgrounds; keynote speaker and hotel (Fair-
DATES TO REMEMBER Jan. 22-24, 2020 OFCA Winter Workshop in Stillwater Feb. 1, 2020 18th OSFA Volunteer Fire Caucus in El Reno March 6, 2020 Oklahoma Public Education Summit in Bethany April 8-10, 2020 98th OFCA Conference hosted by Tuttle FD At Grady County Fairgrounds, Chickasha May 7-9, 2020 OSFA State Fire School in Tulsa field Inn in Chickasha, OFCA hotel block has a $99 rate) are secured. Anthony reported the Fire Marshal Ambassador trip to D.C. was a beneficial trip. ORFA Report: Pierce The Cornerstone membership subcommittee met and discussed the basics of why retirees need to be a member of ORFA and their goal of establishing more chapters around the state. ORFA Board will meet Dec. 3 and discuss the proposed budget. Executive Director’s Report: Lumry OSFA membership totals for 2019: 505 departments, 16 new, with 11,434 members, which is the highest membership has reached. ORFA membership 4,400; Brent Hatcher membership 301, digital Oklahoma Firefighter 763 subscriptions; OSFA Associate Members 24 and OFCA Associate Members 35. The 2020 billing has been sent to all departments. Lumry apologized to Board for an issue that was brought to him. Lumry discussed reviews he received from appreciative families who attended Statewide Memorial Service; he and Brown addressed issues mentioned and steps taken to prevent the issues in the future. The Legislative Action Alerts cost the Association $0.92 per letter; Lumry discussed the impact they made on the legislature. Oklahoma firefighter facts will be sent sporadically to the legislature by email and social media and will utilize the hashtag #okfirefighterfacts. The OKTIMS charter was edited and reviewed again; OSFA Board is in support of the OFCA’s position to not sign the document until the policies and procedures are removed from the charter. Board discussed the proposed 2020 budgets and requested quotes from additional companies for highspeed internet. A museum expansion donor suggested the organization pay rent to the Building Corporation, Board requested official legal opinion on the matter including any needed changes to insurance. Harlow reported no correspondence from the FST Certification Committee. Lumry discussed OK Policy.gov and gave updates on federal legislation. Next meeting: Dec. 19, 2019.
24Dec. 2019 / Jan. 2020Oklahoma Firefighter
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OSFA Executive Board Highlights
Roll Call: Mike Kelley, excused; Eric Harlow, excused; Cliff Davidson, present and presiding; Jim Ed Nimmo, present; Dereck Cassady, present; Tippy Pierce (ORFA), excused. Others: Sheri Nickel, Gene Brown, Trisha Chain, Dean McFadden, Eric Hamilton. Correspondence: Thank you card from Eddie Blankenship Fire Marshal Commission Report: Cassady Carl Hickman was named interim State Fire Marshal and the commission will be interviewing more candidates for the position; Sam Schafnitt has retired. Fire Service Training Report: McFadden McFadden is retired from Guymon Fire Department and is taking over the HAZMAT side of Steve George’s position. Dr. Erick Reynolds’ retirement party is Nov. 1. The Fort Sill Fire School is Feb. 14-16; a REMS meeting is in Enid March 25-27. FST will host a Firefighter-I academy starting in December and will be a part of six blended learning Firefighter-I classes next year in partnership with the OSFA. A regional fire school will be held in Durant in April; FST is revamping the Ag Rescue course due to increased interest; the new leadership in the office will soon be announced. Committee Reports: n Safety & Health: Nickel Committee discussed reports on per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS); discussed a 5K fun run in coordination with the Volunteer Fire Service Committee. n Educational Advisory: Cassady Greta Hurt is still working with TCC staff to set up classes through TCC Continuing Education. Hurt and Chief Driskell have a meeting with TCC President to discuss the issue as well. Six classes have been submitted for the school. n Benevolent: Nickel Committee is continuing their work on creating a binder to give to members for reference when dealing with family members after a member passes. n Public Education: Brown, Chain
October 17, 2019
Committee is continuing work on creating Lessons in a Box; the State Superintendent’s office did not like the STEM-focused curriculum so it is being revamped. The Oklahoma Public Education Summit will be March 6 at the Children’s Rehabilitation Hospital in Bethany and will feature Keith Bryant, Torine Creppy, Kelly Ransdell, and Dr. Christopher Lentz. An SOG for the smoke trailer was submitted by a member of the committee. n Volunteer Fire Service: Nickel The Volunteer Caucus is set for Feb. 1 in El Reno; committee requested Governor Stitt and Dana Mugavero to speak. Museum Report: Brown Brown apologized to the Board for the missed yard maintenance for the Statewide Memorial. Brown and Bob Noll went to the Fire Museum Network Seminar and Noll’s discussion of the alarm systems has generated a lot of contacts throughout the network. The Seminar also featured the use of QR codes and consequently, three codes have been created for our museum, showing videos for the alarm system, Hunneman hand pumper, and the Ben Franklin collection. Brown will soon be a Board member of the Fire Museum Network. The museum will be displaying a shallow-water dive helmet from Oklahoma City Fire Department that was used in the 1930s. Work on the Ward LaFrance is ongoing; brakes are fixed and work on the battery is next. n Museum Expansion Committee: Hobby Lobby was a suggested lead. Board discussed fundraising efforts thus far. Volunteer Recruitment & Retention Report: Nickel The Enid class is graduating tonight; 20 passed and six failed. Classes are still going on in Okmulgee, Broken Arrow, Broken Bow, and Elk City; year four of the grant will begin Thanksgiving Day. A class will begin in Durant Dec. 6 and there are planning meetings in Ponca City and Guymon. Potential class sites include Perkins, Shawnee, Poteau, Eufaula, and Grady County. The newly awarded SAFER grant will be used to develop six
Firefighter-II classes around the state. NVFC Report: Nickel Davidson and Nickel will be attending the fall board meeting in Augusta, GA next week; NVFC is looking at changing a few program names. ORFA Report: Nickel George Fina was present earlier this morning to give the ORFA report but had to leave to attend appointments. The Cornerstone committee is focusing on increasing members and encouraging new individual ORFA chapters. Leesa Black has been attending some county meetings with Nickel to discuss ORFA membership. Directors Report: Nickel OSFA membership totals: 506 departments with 11,449 members, including two new departments in High Hill and Yuba. ORFA membership is at 4,408; Brent Hatcher membership is at 224, the electronic Oklahoma Firefighter has 766 subscriptions; OSFA Associate Members is at 23 and OFCA Associate Members is at 33. The Statewide Memorial service had 178 family members from 25 different families attending. Including all others in attendance, including the 10 fire departments that were represented, the total attendance was 274. The ORFA golf tournament hosted 8 teams and had 2 hole sponsors. Smoke and Guns has asked the OSFA for another sponsorship of their event. The Training and Benevolent Fund accounts have been set up and a recommendation has been made to transfer the remaining funds from Enel’s donation into the account. Nickel thanked the Board for their support of the SAFER grants she is working on; she has received praise from grateful students who are thankful they have been given this opportunity to train. Financial Report: Hamilton Cassady requested a compiled list of costs associated with the COLA mailout including paper, ink, postage, etc. to be presented next month.
Oklahoma FirefighterDec. 2019 / Jan. 202025
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in memoriam
Robert Godfrey, Frederick FD The Final Fire Alarm sounded for retired Frederick volunteer firefighter Robert Godfrey on Nov. 1. He was 92.
Carl “Pete” Damme, Haskell FD The Final Fire Alarm sounded for retired Haskell Fire Chief Carl “Pete” Damme on Oct. 12, 2018. He was 80. Pete, as his father called him, grew up around the Haskell area and graduated from Haskell High School in 1956. He worked on the farm and married the love of his life, Deloris Ann Johnson. Together they ran the Quality Auto Supply for many years. Pete was a member of the Haskell Jaycees for many years, on the Civil Defense Team and also a longtime volunteer firefighter, serving as Fire Chief from 1975 to 1983.
Mike Eytcheson, Stillwater FD The Final Fire Alarm sounded for retired Stillwater firefighter Mike Eytcheson on Oct. 22. He was 67. Mike spent 36 years as a firefighter and EMT in Gunnison, Colo., and in Stillwater, later serving as an instructor for OSU Fire Service Training. He was a captain for the Stillwater Fire Department for over 20 years. Mike was a lifelong cowboy, horse enthusiast and enjoyed being on his farm tending to his horses and cattle. In his retirement, Mike enjoyed traveling around the world and spending time with his grandchildren.
Robert entered the United States Army in August 1945 and served during the World War II Era in Korea. He worked as an auto body repairman for O.E. Brittain Ford Motor Co. and later owned and operated the Godfrey’s Auto Beauty Shop. Robert was a volunteer firefighter for over 20 with the Frederick Fire Department, where he retired.
Bob Dale Edge, Soper FD The Final Fire Alarm sounded for retired Soper firefighter Bob Dale Edge on Nov. 16. He was 81.
Bob graduated from Soper High School in 1955 and then moved to New Mexico where he worked at El Paso Natural Gas in the day and at KHAP country radio as a disc jockey at night. He moved back to Soper in 1971, graduated from Southeastern Oklahoma State University with a degree in education and. after earning a master’s degree, became the Soper Elementary Principal. He also served as a volunteer firefighter.
David Croslin, Tulsa FD The Final Fire Alarm sounded for retired Tulsa firefighter David Croslin on Nov. 22. He was 60.
David served the Tulsa Fire Department for 27 years (19832011). And he was a member of the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) Local 176 for 36 years, where he served in the positions of Trustee & District Vice-President. He was also an avid outdoorsman, be it family time at the lake or deer hunting or fishing, and he was a loyal supporter of the Owasso Rams.
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26Dec. 2019 / Jan. 2020Oklahoma Firefighter
n OKLAHOMA FIRE SPOTLIGHT BY GREG ROBERTS
HOMINY FIRE DEPARTMENT The community of Hominy began as a trading post in 1886 near the confluence of what is now Penn Creek and Hominy Creek, in southern Osage County. A short time later, the town took it’s name from the Osage Chief, Ho’n-Mo’n-I’n, which translates to ‘Walks In The Night.’ Hominy incorporated in 1908. Two significant fires have occurred in the town’s history.
On August 29 and 30, 1983, a riot at the Dick Conner Correctional Facility resulted in the loss of several buildings after inmates set fire to the library, school and church. The damage was estimated at $3 million. Another major fire broke out on New Years Day, 1994. The downtown fire claimed a shoe store, discount store and drug store. The HFD received mutual aid from Pawhuska, Cleveland and Wynona.
Perhaps the most unique piece of Hominy Fire Department history is the department’s 1948 Mack pumper. This Model 85LS, open-cab rig is powered by a 6-cylinder Mack engine, rated at 225 horsepower. It also carries a 750 GPM Hale two-stage pump and a 300 gallon water tank. The purchase price for the truck was $13,340. It arrived in Hominy on the train on August 17, 1948.
1948 Mack 750 pump/300 tank
Tanker 1-2008 Freightliner-200 pump/2500 tank
BP-1 2007 Ford-200 pump/300 tank
If you would like to see your FD featured in a future issue of Oklahoma Firefighter, please contact Greg Roberts at 405-424-1452 or groberts1960@gmail.com
Hominy Fire Department
Norman FD Retired
Fire Chief: Roger Whited Joined OSFA: 1921 Paid members: 4 Volunteers: 17
ISO rating: 4/8.5
Population: 3500 approx.
Square miles covered: 625
Calls per year: 450 average Engines: 2
Brushpumpers: 3 Tankers: 1
Rescue apparatus: 1
Chief Roger Whited
E-2 2003 Spartan/General 1500 pump/750 tank
E-1 2009 Freightliner/E-One-1250 pump/1000 tank
Oklahoma FirefighterDec. 2019 / Jan. 202027
Fire - Rescue - Ambulance Crash Repair
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Osage Unit was hit hard in the passenger door and body corner. Bed was removed, corner and complete side was replaced along with a new pass side door.
Warranty Insurance Claims Non Warranty
FREE ESTIMATES E-One KME Pierce Sutphen When It Needs To Look, Seagrave Ferrara Rosenbauer Spartan Feel and Function Like New Spence Smeal Midwest Alexis EXAMPLES OF OUR WORK ... SVI HME Bulldog Osage Frazier Heiman Braun Horton Leader Arrow Life Line Demers
LARRY ROSE I.T.E. Companies
larry@iteok.com 405-520-5438
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28Dec. 2019 / Jan. 2020Oklahoma Firefighter