Oklahoma Fire Spotlight - Wagoner FD

WAGONER FIRE DEPARTMENT

Fire Chief: Kelly Grooms Joined OSFA: 1913 Paid Members: 7 Volunteers: 18 ISO Rating: 2 Population: 10,000 (approx.) Square Miles Covered: 109 Calls per year: 500 (approx.) Number of Stations: 2 Number of Engines: 3 Number of Ladders: 1 Number of Brushpumpers: 3 Number of Tankers: 1

WFD Members (at right)

Chief Kelly Grooms, Jimmy Cagle, Jeff Hamilton, Darrel Watkins, James McMahan, Jarrad Edwards, Dalton Grooms, Jason Tackett

Historic Footnote:

A fire on July 30, 2017, destroyed five buildings in downtown Wagoner, including the 115-year-old Owl Drug building. To date, this is the largest and most devastating fire in Wagoner history.

E-1 2007 HME/Ferrara 1500 pump/1000 tank R-1 2005 Chevy/Chief F&S 20HP/100 pump/300 tank

Greetings Oklahoma Fire Service! I hope everyone is enjoying the best season of the year -- football, I mean fall. I would assume that firefighters across the state are taking advantage of the wonderful weather outside doing drills and skills until their hearts are content. Fortunately as chief officers, we can train in the comfort of climate controlled indoors. So please don’t miss the training and networking opportunity this January at the Winter Workshop in Stillwater. Our Motto for the OFCA is “We serve to provide professional leadership concerning fire and life safety for the citizens of the Great State of Oklahoma” and our Purpose (in summary) “to provide educational, networking, coordination and support opportunities to its members.” Our board members and staff work diligently to provide education and leadership training for our members every year by putting on the Winter Workshop and Annual Chiefs Conference. I want to strongly encourage each of you to take advantage of these training opportunities that will help you grow as leaders in your organization and gain peer support from networking with other officers. A training program we are very passionate about is the Oklahoma Executive Fire Officer Leadership Program. I was fortunate enough to go through the very first class in 2014. This class was the best leadership training I have ever attended. This EFO program took many years to get off the ground and has helped develop some of the top leaders in our state’s fire service, so let’s keep it going. OSU is currently revamping the program with a new curriculum (it’s going to be better than ever). If you are a chief officer, and have not attended this program, you need to put it at the top of your list. This program is also great for officers who are aspiring to be chief officers. The requirements are 10 years in the fire service and 3 years as an officer. Let us continue to make our states fire service one of the best by training and developing our leaders to their fullest potential. We have some of the greatest resources right here at our fingertips, and we just have to reach out and grab them. Until next time, stay safe and stay involved.

Moore FD

2021-22 OFCA Executive Board

PRESIDENT Greg Herbster

gregherbster@cityofmoore.com

1ST VICE PRESIDENT

James Heap

jrheap@pldi.net

2ND VICE PRESIDENT

Richard Kelley

richard.kelley@okc.gov

3RD VICE PRESIDENT

Craig Carruth

ccarruth@cityofmustang.org

PAST PRESIDENT

Bert Norton

bnorton@midwestcityok.org

OFCA DIRECTOR

Kent Lagaly

klagaly@cityofelreno.com

OUR PURPOSE

To improve fire department administration, fire prevention, fire suppression and fire services delivery throughout the State of Oklahoma by providing educational, networking, coordination and support opportunities to its members.

OFCA MEMBERSHIP

Membership is open to ALL Active & Retired Fire Service Personnel.

First-Time Members are FREE.

Membership runs July 1-June 30

Chief Officers & Shift Commanders $36 per year

Retired Members $26 per year *Sustaining Members $18 per year

*Sustaining Members include all active members of a fire department --public, private or military-- or fire service agency. Sustaining Members are entitled to all privileges and benefits except voting and holding office.

Greetings Oklahoma Fire Service! I hope this finds all of you well. With the holidays approaching and all the activities and gatherings taking place, I hope everyone takes extra precautions to stay healthy. OFCA will be hosting the Winter Workshop Jan. 26-28 in Stillwater. Chief Kelley has been working hard putting together a great lineup of speakers for this event. I would encourage all of you to attend the Winter Workshop and take advantage of all the information available there. One opportunity to take advantage of at the workshop is the networking. Fire service personnel of all ranks may attend the workshop. You can gain an abundance of knowledge from visiting with others in the fire service. It is nice to be able to talk with others that have experienced similar situations that you may be dealing with. You may learn something that will be helpful to you and enable you to make improvements for yourself and for your department. There will be someone there you can gain knowledge from whether you’re a volunteer, paid, from a rural area or from a larger city. Remember, the Winter Workshop is open to everyone. You don’t have to be a member of OFCA to attend. Plan to attend and bring a friend. In addition to the Winter Workshop, there will be a 5 Bugle Brown Bag on Jan. 25 in Stillwater hosted by OSU-FST. This is a round-table discussion for Fire Chiefs

and gives them an opportunity to discuss topics that are happening across the state. This also is a great networking opportunity. There have been some good discussions take place at the 5 Bugle Brown Bag in the past.Frederick FD Watch for the sign-up period for both these events and get registered so that we will have an idea how many of you are going to be there. You won’t regret attending either meeting. I’m certain you will find something to help you in your department. The 5 Bugle Brown Bag is free to attend, but the Winter Workshop has a registration fee that is affordable for 2 1/2 days of educational information. I wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving and Merry Christmas! I hope to see you in Stillwater in January!

Richard Kelley: OFCA 2nd Vice President’s Report

Oklahoma City FD

Greetings Brothers and Sisters! I hope everyone had time to get out and educate their community on fire and life safety during Fire Prevention month. Although we now know that every day is an opportunity to educate our customers through community risk reduction activities, Fire Prevention month is a great time to refocus on these efforts. The beginning of fall is also a great time to make preparations for the upcoming wildland season. In Oklahoma it is extremely important, no matter what size community you serve, that you have a wildland urban interface policy or wildfire operations policy. Get involved with OSU-FST, the Oklahoma Forestry Service and the Oklahoma Incident Resource Hotline working group to identify training opportunities and available resources for your community. As it relates to training, I am excited for the upcoming 2022 Chiefs Winter Workshop which will be held Jan. 26-28 in Stillwater at the OSU Alumni Center. This year, our line-up is filled with incredible fire service leaders who will provide insight into success as a chief officer and ideas for anyone aspiring to become a chief officer or leader within your organization. All of our workshop presenters exude the qualities of our workshop theme: Innovate, Integrate, Motivate – Developing our Future. The workshop will kick off with a jolt from the keynote speaker, Chris Fields, who retired from the Oklahoma City Fire Department and now is the Co-Founder of Trauma Behind the Badge. Chris speaks to First Responders and groups about overcoming trauma and the effects it has on you and the people around you. We also have top shelf leaders from our state as well as around the nation. In addition there will be updates and great tips from many more incredible fire service leaders. I would also be remised if I did not congratulate Fire Chief Bert Norton for an incredible job at the Southwest Division Conference that was held in Midwest City. What an incredible line-up of instructors that brought forth new ideas and provoked thoughts for improvement. As fire service leaders we must continually strive to improve personally while assuring our proud and noble profession is moving forward. This is another example of the importance of being involved in the Oklahoma Fire Chiefs Association (OFCA). The purpose of OFCA is to provide educational, networking, coordination and support for our members. As leaders, we must continually strive to improve just as we expect our firefighters to do every day. I love the saying utilized by my pastor, Craig Groeschel: “When the Leader gets better, everyone gets better.” Never forget the responsibility you have as a fire chief, chief officer or leader within your department. Until next time, strive for excellence because Leaders are not born, they are made.

Fire Service Leaders presenting at 2021 OFCA Winter Workshop:

• Chris Fields, Oklahoma City FD Ret., Co-Founder of Trauma Behind the Badge • Battalion Chief Corley Moore, Moore FD • Fire Chief Michael Baker, Tulsa FD • Deputy Chief Mike Walker, Oklahoma City FD • Dr. Eric Reynolds, retired OSU-FST Director • IFSTA Publications Tom Marcum, Past Fire Chief at Mooreland FD • Battalion Chief Garrett Rice, The Colonies FD • Retired Division Chief of Training Donnell Campbell, Cobb County Fire and Emergency Services • Kelly Walsh, consulting, author, speaker

Craig Carruth: OFCA 3rd Vice President’s Report Bert Norton: OFCA Past President’s Report

Happy Fall Everyone! In this time of the year, one must ask, “is there a better time of year?” Let’s face it: there are cooler temperatures, football season is in full swing, and hunting

Mustang FD season has kicked off. That being said, I hope everyone is taking the Midwest City FD time to find balance between work and some outdoor activities. Balance between work and relaxation is extremely important for our mental and emotional well-being. Please take a moment, evaluate how your time is being spent, and make adjustments as needed. This will pay dividends for your family and co-workers. There are a few items I would like to update and remind everyone about. First off, we are still in the process of raising money for the Keith Bryan Memorial Scholarship Fund. We continue to strive toward the monetary goal of this scholarship despite having setbacks over the past several years. This scholarship fund was established to aid in the overall development of Chief Fire Officers within the State of Oklahoma. Secondly, the Winter Workshop is just around the corner, so don’t forget to get registered for this event. Chief Kelley has put together a great educational opportunity for us to learn from. This year, we will have the opportunity to take advantage of break-out sessions, which will provide for focused topics in a much smaller setting. On a different note, I would like to provide everyone with an OFCA membership update. I am extremely excited about the amount of folks that are getting involved! We started last quarter with only 205 members on the roles. Beginning this quarter, we have 497 members on the roles, with 97 of those being members for the first time! I would like to applaud everyone for taking the first steps to get involved! It is paramount for us as department leaders to spend time and engage with other department leaders in order to garner trends and insight. In doing so, we can use this insight to improve the departments that we have been given the privilege to lead. I cannot overemphasize the impact we can have on each other as leaders. The reasons I am so passionate about this organization are the members and how they have impacted me personally. There is no one in the fire service that is going to understand the roles and responsibilities you have as a Chief Officer like a fellow Chief Officer. For those who have recently signed back up as members, and those who are new members, let me challenge all of you to make every effort you can to attend the Winter Workshop (even if it is for just one day) to gain knowledge from the education and to network with leaders from all over the state. We have made great strides this quarter by improving our membership; however, we still have work to do. Let’s not forget, we have 906 departments registered with the OSFA, which means we still need leaders to step up. If you are wondering how to get involved and become a member with the OFCA, simply go to the OSFA website and follow the OFCA link to become a member today. Stay Safe and Get Active!

Greeting Oklahoma Fire Leaders! I hope all is well and everyone is safe and doing great. I want to take this time and reflect on the past year. As the Past President of the Oklahoma Fire Chief’s Association, I have had almost five years to serve the members of this organization. The past two years have been the most difficult for the fire service. We have been dealing with COVID and trying to figure out what the new norm looks like. We have been through two high transmission rates and tried to manage our personnel during this to continue meeting the needs of our citizens. The thing that makes it tough for us is there is an expectation that when they call 911 there will be firefighters available to respond to their needs. Many of you have risen to the challenge and developed creative plans the make sure staffing levels are on duty. When we think of the phrase “The Oklahoma Standard,” the meaning for many deals with natural and man-made disasters. The reality of the statement is that “The Oklahoma Standard” means we will rise to the challenge no matter what it is. Keith Bryan Memorial During the last year, many Chief Officers

Scholarship Fund have become better at reaching out and developing a network to be able to bounce

Established in 2012 to provide ideas and see what others are doing that is scholarship opportunities for working. aspiring and/or current Oklahoma The Oklahoma Fire Service has always

Fire Officers in leadership and been able to come together and work to better management training education. the Fire Service no matter their background. To Make Secure Donation These groups have proven to be very useful

With Credit Card: and successful for dealing with this pandemhttps://donate.occf.org ic. I believe that from this we have also learned to be able to bounce other ideas for situations we are dealing with. The group discussions let you know you are not the only one dealing with issues. The Southwestern Division of the IAFC had its annual educational conference Oct. 6-8 in Midwest City. During the conference, we learned about adaptive challenges and how we can use groups to help find resolve on issues and problems we are going through. This process often will help us to think outside the box for finding solutions for the issue. If you are not a member of the IAFC, I encourage you to join and see all that IAFC has to offer, including all the resources available to members. At the time this article was written, we were in full swing with Fire Prevention month. I was visiting with my staff the other day and we were talking about the changes we have been forced to make during COVID. Many of us have been forced to make changes to the way we deliver our programs. I am hoping we will make sure and keep these programs going and make sure we can get in front of the kids again. Fire Prevention is such an important part of what we do. Until Next Time Stay Safe and Get Involved!