Official publication of the Oklahoma State Firefighters Association
September 2018 Volume 35, Issue 7
22nd Annual David Bain
19th Annual Statewide
OKLAHOMA FALLEN &
OKLAHOMA
LIVING FIREFIGHTERS
FIREFIGHTERS
Memorial Golf Tournament
Memorial Service
Thursday, Sept. 6, 2018
Sunday, Oct. 7, 2018
At Lincoln Park
At Oklahoma Firefighters
(WEST COURSE)
Museum & Memorial
All Proceeds Benefit Oklahoma Fallen & Living Firefighters Memorial
All Firefighters & Family Members Are Invited to Attend
MORE INFO ON PAGE 16
MORE INFO ON PAGE 17
MEET OSFA Executive Director Steve Lumry
See Pages 18-19
I N S I D E
OSFA Executive Board Members’ Comments............................................................. 5-6 OSFA Executive Director’s Report - Steve Lumry ...........................................................7 Chaplain’s Corner - Jacob Toews ................................................................................... 14 ORFA Report - President Juan Rodriguez .................................................................... 11 OSFA Women’s Auxiliary Report -Marti Carpenter .................................................... 20 Firefighter Near-Miss Report - Greg Lindsay ............................................................... 13 Museum News - Gene Brown ......................................................................................... 22 In Memoriam ..................................................................................................................34 Executive Board Meeting Highlights ............................................................................. 30 Oklahoma Fire Spotlight -- Bethany FD ........................................................................ 33 OSFA Snapshots .............................................................................................................35
ChangeService ServiceRequested Requested Change
OKLAHOMA STATE STATE FIREFIGHTERS FIREFIGHTERS ASSOCIATION ASSOCIATION OKLAHOMA 2716 N.E. N.E. 50th 50th St. St. 2716 Oklahoma City, City, OK OK 73111 73111 Oklahoma
Non-Profit Org. Org. Non-Profit U.S. Postage Postage U.S. PAID PAID Okla. City, OK OK Okla. City, Permit No. No. 570 570 Permit
2September 2018Oklahoma Firefighter
klahoma Firefighter September 2018
Volume 35 — Issue 7
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
Letters to the Editor: Oklahoma Firefighter encourages the
open exchange of ideas, opinions and concerns among members of the fire service community. Letters to the Editor should: concentrate on issues, not personalities; be typed; be signed by the writer and include writer’s telephone number; and be mailed (or emailed) to the Oklahoma State Firefighters Association: 2716 N.E. 50th St., Oklahoma City, OK, 73111 (osfa@osfa.info). Oklahoma Firefighter reserves the right to publish, edit and condense letters according to space limitations and the editor’s judgement. Great care will be taken to ensure the message in the letter is not altered. Anonymous letters will not be published.
Oklahoma FirefighterSeptember 20183
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OSFA Convention Sponsors’ INDEX Ardian .................................. 23
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ADvertisers’ INDEX Get your Oklahoma Firefighter newspaper the minute it goes to press! Read it on your smart phone, laptop or other digital device! It’s an easy and convenient way to stay on top of the goings on of your Association!
Plus, every page in the digital newspaper is in color! And the digital version also features videos! Simply call (405-424-1452) or email the OSFA office (amyh@osfa.info) and request digital editions! Please provide your name and address for verification.
Bruckner’s ........................ 16
Oklahoma Conference ......19
Casco Industries ............... 36
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Chief Fire & Safety ........... 2
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Oklahoma FirefighterSeptember 20185
PREsident n
Dereck Cassady
2018-19 OSFA Executive Board Ponca City FD
IAFFLocal2479@ yahoo.com • 580-761-5338 As summer is winding down and school is back in session, I hope all of you had a great summer and were able to spend lots of time with family and friends. As we get closer to October, I want to invite every one of you to our Statewide Firefighter Memorial Service on Sunday, Oct. 7 at the Oklahoma Fallen and Living Firefighters Memorial. Come and honor those who have made the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty or our forefathers that have passed on. Come be part of a great event and show the families that have lost loved ones the honor and respect they deserve. As we all know, training and education are a very integral and vital part of what we do in the fire service. Everyone needs to start looking at their calendar for next year and plan on attending the 2019 State Fire School May 2-5 in Tulsa. The OSFA Educational Advisory Committee has already began the work to make the school bigger and better, so make plans to attend. As you all know, we have some very important elections coming up in November. Campaigns are in full swing, and it’s very important that you get involved in the elections in your area. We need to take a serious look at the candidates running and put the right people in leadership. Political party shouldn’t matter, because we need those who will support and stand up for us in office. We need boots on the ground to help get the right people elected and protect the benefits that we have. Remember, YOU can make a difference. Get out and let your voice be heard.
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.
PRESIDENT: Dereck Cassady 580-761-5338 IAFFLocal2479@yahoo.com
1ST VICE PRESIDENT Mike Kelley 405-623-4388 mkelley@local157.org
3RD VICE PRESIDENT Cliff Davidson 580-554-1886 davidsoncliff@yahoo.com
PAST PRESIDENT Matt Lay 918-760-9065 matthewlay@icloud.com
2ND VICE PRESIDENT Eric Harlow 405-520-2893 ericharlow200@gmail.com
www.osfa.info • (405) 424-1452 Oklahoma Firefighters Museum Proposed Expansion
1st vice PresidenT n
Mike Kelley
OKC FD
mkelley@local157.org I don’t know about anyone else, but it seems that summer just flew past. It’s been a busy summer at your association. Your recently appointed Executive Director Steve Lumry has hit the ground running as the board expected when he was chosen. He has been busy evaluating processes and policies while overseeing the fund-raising for the upcoming museum expansion. The board will be choosing a new director in September to assist Steve and the staff with the operations of your OSFA. Make plans to join us Thursday, Sept. 6, at Lincoln Park Golf Course for the 22nd Annual David Bain Oklahoma Fallen and Living Firefighters Memorial Golf Tournament. This is a great time of fun, food and fellowship that supports your Memorial. Additionally, make plans to attend the 19th Annual Statewide Memorial Service that will be held Sunday, Oct. 7, from 2-5 p.m.to honor all firefighters who have passed in the previous 12 months. This is a moving tribute to our brothers and sisters who have paved our path departing before us. As a board, we continue to evaluate the programs and services that we provide. We want you, our members, to be proud to belong to our
405-623-4338
organization. And we are constantly seeking to make sure that you have what you need. We are currently evaluating health insurance plans that can be offered to meet your needs. It would not be possible to do the work of the OSFA without those of you who give back by being involved with the numerous committees. The diverse make-up of our committees helps us hear the needs of our membership throughout the state. As you are probably aware the Pension system was sued concerning the interest distribution that was required from Plan B on June 30. A temporary restraining order was granted in that action that will place on hold the planned true up of interest and distribution scheduled for this fall. If you haven’t registered for the new selfservice feature for the pension website, do so now at www.ok.gov/fprs/. This is a great opportunity to look at your actual information and project potential retirement dates and view your account. In closing, I would urge you to truly be your brother’s and sister’s keeper. As mental health begins to get the attention that it deserves, we are best positioned to identify changes in behavior and offer help to our firefighting family. Stay safe brothers and sisters!
6September 2018Oklahoma Firefighter
2nd vice PresidenT n
Eric Harlow
Guthrie FD
ericharlow200@gmail.com
n
By the time you read this, the runoff elections will be over and we will be down to two candidates for Governor. I implore you to do your homework, vet the candidates and vote for who you believe will do not only the best for our state, but also for our fire service. Use this same philosophy in your local elections, whether they be for State Representative, Senator or a county office. Having those in office that we can turn to in order to help the fire service is paramount. Please encourage those on your department, along with your family and friends, to go exercise the right to vote. Every vote truly does count. I had to opportunity to attend one of the OSFA Family Night events with the OKC Dodgers at Bricktown Ballpark last weekend and it was a great time. I saw a few of you out there, and I know several attended the first event as well. The game was definitely a great one to watch and I hope everyone that attended had a great time. I look forward to working with the Dodgers organization in the future to hopefully have more of these type events. It’s a great way to interact with our other firefighters and also enjoy a night out at the ballpark with your family. We had the unfortunate job to carry a brother firefighter to his final resting place earlier this month. Assistant Chief Maddy Clinton, a veteran of the Friendship Volunteer Fire Department near Altus, was killed during firefighting operations at a structure fire. I encourage you to take this incident to heart and train with your departments on recognizing the signs of structural collapse and scene safety. A special thank you to all those departments that attended the service, the Oklahoma Fire Pipes and Drums along with the Tulsa and Lawton FD Honor Guards. Our thoughts and prayers continue to be with the Clinton family along with the Friendship VFD. In closing, I want to remind you all to stay safe and be cognizant of your surroundings.. I know I want all of you to go home.....safely!
OSFA / Museum Staff Executive Director Steve Lumry • stevel@osfa.info
Special Projects Tim Bartram • timb@osfa.info
Volunteer Recruitment/ Retention Coordinator Sheri Nickel • sherin@osfa.info
Museum Director Gene Brown • geneb@osfa.info
Administrative Assistants Amy Hall • amyh@osfa.info Trisha Chain • trishac@osfa.info
Museum Assistants Quintin James • quintinj@osfa.info Robert Noll • bobn@osfa.info
Cliff Davidson Ringwood FD
405-520-2893
Greetings Oklahoma Firefighters! Fall is definitely on it’s way, although summer keeps rearing it’s ugly head. Football season has officially started and before you know it, the holidays will be upon us.
Publications Penelope Soldan • penelopes@osfa.info
3rd vice PresidenT davidsoncliff@yahoo.com 580-554-1886 It’s been a great honor to work with all the board members and the incredible staff at OSFA. Everyone has been so helpful in helping me get settled in. There is so much to learn and I am looking forward to this new adventure. It is so great to travel and meet with firefighters across the state. I would like to congratulate Sheri Nickel and Paddy Metcalf for getting the Firefighter 1 online classes filled in Duncan and Woodward. This will be a great opportunity for volunteers to get their Firefighter 1 certification. OSFA and OSU-FST are working together to provide this opportunity to the volunteers. The plan is to provide this across the state. And although the 2018 classes are full, it will start over after the first of the year. OSFA is working hard to provide for the volunteers and all those in the fire service. After traveling to Duncan and Woodward and meeting with the firefighters and seeing the enthusiasm for this online class, I think it is going to be another great way to get this training to the volunteers. I would like to thank Mike Duncan for his service on the board and all the work he has put in. He left me some mighty big shoes to fill. I look forward to the future and doing what I can for the fire service of Oklahoma. It’s been a great ride so far. I hope everyone enjoyed their summer. Stay safe and watch out for the the school zones.
Past PREsident n
Matt Lay
Tulsa FD
matthewlay@icloud.com 918-760-9065 As this newspaper goes to print, citizens of the State of Oklahoma will be casting their votes in a historic Primary Runoff Election. Never before have so many people at every level of government stepped forward to answer the call. The result? Numerous career politicians were sent packing, replaced by everyday citizens that are tired of the bickering and partisan rancor that has threatened to cripple our great state. Even Firefighters were in the mix with two active OSFA Members getting in on the action. Tulsa Firefighter Stan May is engaged in the Republican Primary Runoff in House District 80 (Tulsa & Wagoner County) while Ada Firefighter Danny Manuel is running as the Democratic Nominee in House District 25 (Pontotoc County). Good luck to both of these brothers in their quest to represent all of us at the State Capitol! Moving forward, the OSFA is committed to improving the organization and its service to firefighters across the state. One way we’ve worked to accomplish this was the development of a new Strategic Plan for the OSFA. The process created measurable benchmarks and initiatives and was led by Chief Dennis Compton (ret. Phoenix Fire) of the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation and IFSTA Executive Board. He was an incredible resource and guided the OSFA Board, OFCA and ORFA representatives and staff through a rigorous progression of reflection, analysis, and forecasting last summer. President Cassady has called a summit for the current OSFA Board and staff to update and continue evaluating the Strategic Plan in FY2019. Last but not least, I hope you will join us on Oct. 7 for the Statewide Memorial Service here on the campus of the OSFA. This will be a time for us to honor and remember those that came before and showed us the way. Until next time … Take Care and God Bless.
Oklahoma FirefighterSeptember 20187
OSFA Membership Benefits Membership in the Oklahoma State Firefighters Association offers a wide array of benefits and services. • Lobbying for Pension benefits and Fire Service legislation is one of the most important services you receive. This is conducted locally, statewide and at the national level. • Subscription to OSFA’s official Oklahoma Firefighter publication, which keeps members up-to-date on legislative and training issues, as well as other news from around the Oklahoma fire service. • National representation in the form of membership on NFPA Committees, IAFC, IAFF and National Volunteer Fire Council. • OSFA decal which is dated each year of your membership for you to proudly display on your vehicle(s). • Line-of-Duty Death Benefit of $2,000.00 is delivered in person for immediate relief to your family within 24 hours. • Apply to join a committee and help make things happen. OSFA committees include Legislative, Safety & Health, Educational Advisory, Memorial Funding, Benevolent, Membership, Volunteer Fire Service and Brent Hatcher Fund. • An accidental death and dismemberment policy for $4,000 from American Income Life. • Brent Hatcher Fund, a fund for active firefighters, ensuring that surviving families will receive a financial gift in the event of the death of a member firefighter (currently $2,180 -- $5 x the number of Brent Hatcher members). • Distribution of surplus equipment on a first-come first-serve basis (when available). • Training at the State Fire School and the Volunteer Caucus and Pension Seminars -- all at no charge.
• The annual Firefighters Convention, where you can interact with your peers and get involved in the process. Your department’s delegates have a vote at convention. • Run for the Executive Board at the annual convention, and if elected, obtain a seat on the State Pension Board. • Assistance with Grants, Fire Department operations and management, and Pension & Retirement issues, State laws and National-State-Local government agencies. • Free admission for members and their families to the nation’s most comprehensive, member-held Firefighters Museum. • Your name on OSFA’s outstanding Fallen & Living Firefighters Memorial, which honors Oklahoma firefighters who have served their communities for more than 20 years or retired through disability. • Firefighter license plate (numbered or personalized for your vehicle or motorcycle). • Full access to the OSFA website and online job postings. • Promotion of Fundraisers through Email Blasts and Facebook. • Research on ISO information and counseling (insurance rating for your community). • Research Attorney General Opinions affecting fire departments and firefighter pension issues. • Provide information on NFPA firefighter qualifications (health examination). It is a priority of the Oklahoma State Firefighters Association to embrace new members from all fire service disciplines and grow our membership to the point in which we remain the strongest leading force of Oklahoma’s fire service.
OSFA EXECUTIVE DIRECtor n
Steve Lumry stevel@osfa.info 405-424-1452
As I write this article in the middle of August it is raining cats and dogs. We just came off of numerous 100 degree days when the wildfire risk was extreme and now our Twitter feed is blowing up with fire departments responding to water rescues. It seems like it’s feast or famine in Oklahoma. In either case, we hope you are being safe out there, and the best way to ensure that is to be well prepared and well trained. We are doing everything we can to help you on the training front -- from the $2.17 million SAFER grant to offering the most well-rounded training in the southwest at our free State Fire School each year. We have partnered with many other agencies, including OSU-FST, Technology Centers and other training providers through the Staffing for Adequate Emergency Response (SAFER) grant to pay for Firefighter I classes, leadership classes and other retention classes to the point that we have fully spent the allotted grant funds for year two and have a waiting list. Sheri Nickel (OSFA Volunteer Recruitment/Retention Coordinator) has done an outstanding job on administering the grant program within the guidelines and as fairly as is humanly possible. Tim Bartram (OSFA Special Projects) is already working with the Educational Advisory Committee to make the 2019 OSFA John F. Futhey II State Fire School even better than last year. In case you didn’t know, that is a tall order to fill. Under Jason Louthan’s leadership as the Educational Advisory Committee Chair, support from the OSFA Board and lots of work by the individual committee members from all around the state and all aspects of the fire service, I believe the Educational Advisory Committee will be able to offer courses that will exceed last year’s school and probably even exceed the number of people (800) that attended last year. Beginning this month, all of your OSFA committees will be back to work after a brief summer hiatus. You probably don’t realize that there are over 220 firefighters from around our state that participate on OSFA committees and give their time to better the Oklahoma Fire Service. I hope you are one of them or are at least considering it. We always say, “Leave it better than you found it.” Without your help, it is just six full-time staff members and your five Board members trying to make things better for you. Luckily for all of us, that is not the case. There are dedicated firefighters just like you who give some of their time to make sure all aspects of the fire service are taken into consideration before any decision is made. We appreciate them so much. Speaking of giving a little time, it is time to start speaking to your legislator and getting to know them. We don’t plan on “pushing the million firefighter button” this year unless it is absolutely necessary. But we believe if you will spend just a few minutes talking to your hometown legislators, explain your personal situation, and remind them that our retirees haven’t gotten any kind of increase in 11 years now (since 2008), it will be a big help. Explain how the cost of goods and services and insurance have increased in your personal experience. Take a little time and go to the polls this November and vote for the candidates that best represent your views on the issues. And remember, firefighter issues are (and should be) an important issue to you. Legislators decide our fire department funding, state grants, safety issues, worker’s comp, pension, and enforcement/response capabilities in many ways. So get to know them, become a resource for them, and talk (speak to, email, Facebook, write letters, etc.) to them at least two to three times during the session March through May. Our lead lobbyist Don Armes and the other two lobbyists assisting him will be at the Capitol everyday working for you trying to educate them on our issues. But YOU are the key to our success or failure. We will be doing it, too, and will also be here as your resource. We appreciate you, we will be working hard for you, and we are looking forward to meeting you or seeing you again. Until next time, STAY SAFE!
8September 2018Oklahoma Firefighter
n
SAFER Grant Sheri Nickel
“A good firefighter knows how; an excellent firefighter knows why.” That was a quote that I recently heard Chief Keith Bryant say in a presentation at the Weatherford
Mid-Year Conference. It stuck in my brain because it relates to what I deal with on a daily basis. So many times, I am told that firefighters don’t need formal training classes because they can learn everything that they need to know on the fireground. There is some truth to that. In my 18 years of firefighting, I have learned a lot from simply being in the field fighting fire. For instance, pulling up to a green wheat field and it appears to be on fire. That will make you scratch your head for a minute as a rookie firefighter. I learned way back in the day that green wheat fields stop a fire. Not the case when the green wheat field is planted in no-till fashion. There is an undisturbed layer of undergrowth that is used to hold the moisture in the soil that will burn just like a field of ready to harvest wheat. They didn’t teach us that in Wildland Fundamentals. My point is, you can be a good firefighter and never step foot in a classroom. We all adapt to the fires in our area. We know how to fight a grass fire, but what exactly do we know about structure fires? In the rural areas of Oklahoma, more than likely we are going to always fight it hard from the yard, but in the rare instance of pulling up and only seeing some smoke coming from the back bedroom, are we doing our best to protect that property? This is where we need some formal training. How many of you are still making entry in a smoky house in jeans and boots? Not many that will admit it, but I know it still goes on. How many guys on your fire department even know how to properly don their SCBA? Maybe they learned it 15-20 years ago when they took a Firefighter-1 class or went through their Basic Firefighter Skills training. As a training officer or fire chief of a volunteer fire department, it is your responsibility to
SAFER Grant Coordinator make sure that your guys are protected. So many of you sit back and make fun of the younger guys that want to train. Why’s that? Are you afraid that they will make the older guys look bad? Are they going to learn what to do correctly and call you out on what is being done wrong? Sounds brutally honest, doesn’t it? Maybe so, but as a fire department leader, it is your job to protect your guys and not your egos. Stop the mockery that is going on. Just because they are going to learn something in a new way or with new terminology isn’t going to make them stupid. Just because they are going to approach a burning vehicle or a trash dumpster with a SCBA doesn’t make them a pansy. I will be the first to admit that they may never use all of the skills that they learn in Firefighter-1, but if they can take one piece of a skill that they learn in one thing, it may be something that they use to save you or one of your loved ones when they need saved someday. With that being said, we have about 75 men and women who are starting Firefighter-1 in August in western Oklahoma. One class in Duncan and one class in Woodward. The departments that are being represented by these firefighters have not had the opportunity to obtain this training in many years without traveling long distances. If this proves to be successful for these rural areas, we will plan on making it available elsewhere after the first of the year. There are also upcoming classes at EOC in Choctaw and OSU-FST in Stillwater. I am excited for each and every one of these students who are choosing to learn the skills that are being taught to them. Perhaps they will gain the confidence and leadership that they need to explain to us old firefighters why they are advancing that hose into that back bedroom rather than busting the window out and shooting water in there. So, Chiefs, support your firefighters desire to train. Things are burning quicker and hotter than they did 20-25 years ago and we aren’t as young as we used to be. If you aren’t keeping up your training, let someone else do it, what do you have to lose?
SAFER GRANT Recruitment & Retention First Time Firefighters - Firefighter 1 - Bunker Gear Year-3 Opens Nov. 23, 2018
OKLAHOMA STATE FIREFIGHTERS ASSOCIATION
Funds dispersed on a first-come first-served basis
Sheri Nickel Grant Coordinator www.OSFA.info • 405-424-1452 office 580-554-7123 cell • sherin@osfa.info
Oklahoma Firefighters Benefit From Year-2 of SAFER Grant These firefighters have filled all of the positions for the Firefighter-I training made possible by Year-2 of the SAFER grant. Each one has or will receive a firefighter’s pension physical, training to the level of FF-1 and 75 of them will receive a set of custom fit bunker gear. We are no longer taking applications for this year. Year-3 will open Nov. 23. Remember this is a first-come, first-serve process so don’t hesitate to get your applications turned in to take advantage of this wonderful program. Addington: Gavin Wheeler, Caleb Field Beaver: Cody Gregory Bethel Acres: Christopher Cates Buffalo: Michael Ashlock, Thomas Mercer, Calvin Jordan Butler: Sketchley Baker Central High: Laurence McGowan Jr. Chandler: Mason Rickner Chicken Creek: Randell Baker, Conner Crittenden Clinton: Tyler Calvert, Randy Jones Corum: Thomas Couch, Bill Straily, Austin Myers Deer Creek: Jamie DuBose, Austin Payne Dewey: Colby Williams Elmwood: Mike Baker Eufaula: Cooper Sullivan Fairview: David Averill, Joe Johnson, Michael Swonger Fargo: Ronnie Elliott, Stacy Hamilton, Austin Thomas, EJ Bancroft, Darren Price Forest Park: Korbin Polston, Hunter Garrison Gage: Aaron Chandler Gate: Charles Thex Goodwell: Marty Trent Hans Guymon: JJ Palacios, Katrina Sledge, Guadalupe Avalos, Gilberto Barrera, Carlos Legada Hammon: Colton Wood Healdton: Garrett Hagle, Chris Sorrels, Matt Choate, Dalton Gilihan Hogeye: Kale Haney, Joni Swiontek Illinois River: Dylan Harbour Kellyville: Kevin Haney, John Carathers Konawa: Chelsey Oglesby Lakewood: Justin Copeland Laverne: Jared Cook, Kirby Laverty Mannford: Mitch Inman Marlow: Eric Spurlock, Connor Newman Mooreland: Derek Richmond Mustang: Jack Alexander Newalla: Josh Billiot, Jay Patton Newcastle: Earl Reed Olive: LaTina Strong-Good Peninsula: Gregory Gilley Perkins: Daniel Jensen, Chance Bunch, Brianna Pruitt, William Noel, Nick Mueller, Connor Bunch Red Oak: Phillipe Cates Richland: Chris Chamberlain Seiling: Koeby House Sharon: Devon Cornstock Shattuck: Dillon Nickel, Tanner Abbott Velma: Kevin Tennison, Danyell Miller, CJ Burrow Walters: Robert Drake Waynoka: Austin Durkee Westport FD: Miriam Boewe Woodward FD: Chad Harmon, Cole Servis, Drew Pinkcard
Oklahoma FirefighterSeptember 20189
Question & Answers Oklahoma Firefighter asked last issue’s readers this question: “What makes you feel nostalgic?” Here is what they said: w Aaron Burns, Broken Arrow Retired: My first helmet from 1988. I still have it. w Melanie Colvin, Slaughterville: Fall - cool evenings, hot chocolate with my family and enjoying time together. It always makes me reflect on how much my children are growing up. I enjoy watching who they are becoming but miss when they were younger, as well. w Greg Roberts, Norman Retired: Hearing a favorite song from years ago makes me feel nostalgic. Or seeing an old friend for the first time in years. Also, looking through old photographs and newspaper articles. w Bryan West, OSU-FST: Visiting our wonderful Oklahoma Firefighters Museum. w Ted Wilson, Oklahoma City FD Chaplain: When I see or help folks with the positive changes in their lives. It takes me back to the day at Falls Creek when I gave my heart to Christ and surrendered my life to full service to the Lord at the age of 14. The experienced Missionary that counseled me about Serving God, told me, “You don’t need to know the specific vocation that He has in store for you. However, the Lord will open a door of service and you are to go into that door and once inside, look around and get to work! Also, not to kick the door open, go into a window or into the back door. “Go through the open door. If one is not open, keep working for Him where you are and you will be sure you are in His will!”
w BreAnn Horn, Marshall: I think I would have to say when I drive by certain area or locations as I travel for work. Or when I’m just out driving around listening to music and a special song comes on. w Steve Lumry, Oklahoma City Retired: I don’t ever really feel nostalgic. I feel blessed to live “in today.” That’s not to say that I don’t remember the past, because I think it is very important to remember the past and honor those who came before us and set us up for success and left us with the benefits we have today. And I believe that obligates us to pay it forward in the same manner and to not make the selfish mistakes that could mess it up for those who come after us. We are charged with leaving it better than we found it. Now, that kind of waxes nostalgic. doesn’t it? w Jacob Toews, Calera: Being an active fireman ... sigh! w Richelle Treece, Bethel Acres: I’d say music. Whether it’s high school or different phases of my life, the music is always in the background. w Marti Carpenter, OSFA Women’s Auxiliary: Definitely seeing the 90s styles that are coming back around. Now I understand what my mom felt like in the 90s when she said, “Oh my gosh, we used to wear all this when I was your age!” w Juan Rodriguez, Lawton Retired: Music first, then old photographs. w Tony Lopez, Midwest City: Going to a retirement party for a firefighter who spent 32 years on the department and who I have worked with for 28 years.
Next Month’s Question -“What Oklahoma event do you look forward to each year?” Everyone is Welcome to Participate! Email Your Response to penelopes@osfa.info
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State Fire Marshal Robert Doke
Now that State Question 788 has been approved by voters, several communities of every size have been contacted by future grow facilities to purchase, lease or rent structures for the growth of marijuana. The Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority website (www.omma.ok.gov) has the most current information on Medical Marijuana. As of Aug. 6, 2018, a Summary of Proposed Revisions is in the Governor’s Office for review. Electrical: Grow facilities use a tremendous
Robert.Doke@fire.ok.gov amount of electricity for grow lighting, ventilation and mechanical processing. Many existing buildings’ electrical components are not equipped to handle the required increase of electricity. It may not be uncommon for supply lines or transformers to overheat and melt, causing electrical hazard to citizens, facility employees and emergency first responders. Processing: The extracting process may be conducted by several processes and may result in off gassing of chemicals.
Residual Pesticide CAS Number Action Level
Residual Pesticide CAS Number Action Level
Abamectin Acephate Acequinocyl Acetamiprid Aldicarb Azoxystrobin Bifenazate Bifenthrin Boscalid Carbaryl Chlorantraniliprole Chlorfenapyr Chlorpyrifos Clofentezine Cyfluthrin Cypermethrin Daminozide DDVP (Dichlorvos) Diazinon Dimethoate Ethoprophos Etofenprox Etoxazole Fenoxycarb Fenpyroximate Fipronil Flonicamid Fludioxonil
Hexythiazox Imazalil Imidacloprid Kresoxim-methyl Malathion Metalaxyl Methiocarb Methomyl Methyl parathion MGK-264 Myclobutanil Naled Oxamyl Paclobutrazol Permethrins* Phosmet Piperonyl butoxide Prallethrin Propiconazole Pyrethrins† Pyridaben Spinosad Spiromesifen Spirotetramat Tebuconazole Thiamethoxam Trifloxystrobin
71751-41-2 30560-19-1 57960-19-7 135410-20-7 116-06-3 131860-33-8 149877-41-8 82657-04-3 188425-85-6 63-25-2 500008-45-7 122453-73-0 2921-88-2 74115-24-5 68359-37-5 52315-07-8 1596-84-5 62-73-7 333-41-5 60-51-5 13194-48-4 80844-07-1 153233-91-1 72490-01-8 134098-61-6 120068-37-3 158062-67-0 131341-86-1
0.5 0.4 2.0 0.2 0.4 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.4 0.2 0.2 1.0 0.2 0.2 1.0 1.0 1.0 0.1 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.4 0.2 0.2 0.4 0.4 1.0 0.4
78587-05-0 35554-44-0 138261-41-3 143390-89-0 121-75-5 57837-19-1 2032-65-7 16752-77-5 298-00-0 113-48-4 88671-89-0 300-76-5 23135-22-0 76738-62-0 52645-53-1 732-11-6 51-03-6 23031-36-9 60207-90-1 8003-34-7 96489-71-3 168316-95-8 283594-90-1 203313-25-1 80443-41-0 153719-23-4 141517-21-7
1.0 0.2 0.4 0.4 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.4 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.5 1.0 0.4 0.2 0.2 2.0 0.2 0.4 1.0 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.4 0.2 0.2
* Permethrins should be measured as cumulative residue of cis- and trans-permethrin isomers (CAS numbers 54774-45-7 and 51877-74-8). † Pyrethrins should be measured as the cumulative residues of pyrethrin 1, cinerin 1 and jasmolin 1 (CAS numbers 121-21-1, 25402-06-6, and 4466-14-2, respectively). CAS numbers are from Analyte Chemical Abstract Services
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10September 2018Oklahoma Firefighter
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Oklahoma FirefighterSeptember 201811
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ORFA REport
CHOICES
Juan Rodriguez Lawton FD Retired
A Poem By Rod Windle, Bluejacket Volunteer Fire Department My heart is heavy for all of you, I can only imagine what you are going through. I know you’re trying with all your might to put this big fire out tonight.
Health Insurance!!!? A very expensive monthly premium bill and more expensive when you include co-pays, out-ofpocket, and deductibles. It is even more expensive if you go to an out-of-network provider or you are forced to take a premium medication instead of a generic replacement. Health Insurance is a constant concern for everyone, including all firefighters. Health Insurance must be maintained even after we are no longer firefighters. Many firefighters retire prior to being eligible for Medicare and are forced to continue their insurance at a higher price to them. After reading the paragraphs above, you might think my article is about insurance, but you would only be half correct. This article is actually about Medicare. Medicare is the health insurance for most Americans 65-and-over. Since I do not yet qualify for Medicare, I needed some education. The ORFA board created a Medicare Committee headed by ORFA 1st Vice President Tippy Pierce, and he wasted no time educating the rest of the ORFA board. Our main goal is to inform other retirees about the benefits of Medicare. We are now toying with the idea of providing more than just information. We learned there are many parts of Medicare. In the first presentation, we learned about Parts A, B, C, D, F and G. I also learned that there are Parts K, L, M and N that I have no clue about yet. Since it is our first goal to inform all of you about the benefits, here it goes. Part A is hospital coverage, Part B is Medical Out Patient care and professional and non professional services (Part B usually is the Doctor coverage), Part C is known as Advantage or Medicare Advantage which is a combination of Parts A and B with a few changes. Part D covers Prescription drugs. Advantage plans cover all of Parts A and B but have a maximum out of pocket since original Medicare doesn’t have one. You can also get an Advantage plan that includes part D. Parts F and G are considered a “gap” insurance that covers the difference between what a doctor or provider charges and the amount Medicare will pay but it appears part F will be discontinued, which is what happened to Parts E, H, I and J. After a little “google-ing”, I learned that Parts K, L, M and N are gap coverages for different items such as hospice, skilled nursing, preventive care and Part B copayments. That is the crash course on the Medicare alphabet, which is important since Medicare is Medicare no matter the provider and no matter the price of premiums. The main difference in Medicare coverage is the different things available based on where you live. I will stop now before I really confuse you. Again, I will say it is our goal to inform our members on Medicare. We are currently looking into providing some type of service to our members, if possible. The best advice I can give right now is make sure you enroll in Medicare by the time you turn 65 to avoid the penalties of late enrollment. I have read my own article numerous times and realize that it sounds like a Foster Brooks skit. I don’t know how to make it clearer without making it much longer. I will end this article now with a promise that clarity is forthcoming. Good things come to those who wait. By the way, if you don’t know who Foster Brooks is, good! This article isn’t meant for you ... yet.
Neighbors helping neighbors this is what you do, trying to protect everything so precious to you.
The winds are howling and smoke fills the air, the fire is coming from way over there.
It travels fast some will see 50 mph and that’s hard to believe.
The animals are nervous, sense something wrong, the fire is coming and it won’t be long. Ranchers and Farmers they do what they can, protect all their animals that are on their land.
The fire is approaching as they start to run, scared to death as the smoke blocks out the sun. They do their best to make their way looking to get out of the smoke arm’s way. Some will make it some will not, but they’re going to give everything they got.
There is so much pain and suffering tonight, it will be worse by the morning light. You see the hurt in their eyes you can only imagine how they feel inside.
Their pain is overwhelming and a choice is made their gift of life will end today.
The look in their eyes tells you it’s OK. There will be no more suffering after today.
Your heart heavy eyes full of tears stomach in a knot when you make that first shot. Saw a picture of a rabbit today, he was burnt to a crisp as the fire went away.
I can only imagine what he went through, the smoke and fire were his final doom. Prayers are sent for all of you, keep your faith and God bless you.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Ron Windle, Retired Bluejacket Fire Chief, wrote this poem during the wildfires earlier this year. He read it to another firefighter who suggested he share it with Oklahoma Firefighter readers. It brought OSFA Administrative Assistant Amy Hall to tears.
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12September 2018Oklahoma Firefighter
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Oklahoma FirefighterSeptember 201813
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NEAR-MISS REPORT
By Greg Lindsay
Fire - After Fire Responding on any fire can cause our pulse to quicken and our thought process to go into overdrive. This is a benefit to recognizing our past experiences and deciding the best method for making an attack. For some people it’s not any different for a car fire. When approaching a car fire that is producing heavy dark smoke, it can look bigger than we expect. The thing about an automobile fire is the obstacles frequently change so that the last car fire is only similar to this one. The featured report this month comes from an assistant chief from a volunteer company in the northeast part of the country. As the crew begins to attack the fire, several challenges form to prevent complete extinguishment. As you read this report, consider your own experiences to develop a constructive discussion with your crew.
Dual Hazards Present During Car Fire Attack
Published: 9/27/2011 • http://firefighternearmiss.com/Reports?id=5456 Event Narrative Our fire company was dispatched to a car fire in our first in district. The first engine responded with four certified firefighters (deputy chief, assistant chief, driver and firefighter). The company chief met the engine on scene. We arrived on scene and found a late model sedan with an engine compartment fire. The firefighter and the assistant chief were in air packs and commenced firefighting activities. The assistant chief used forcible entry tools to begin opening the hood corners. The firefighter advanced the 1.75” hoseline, and began fighting the fire through the grill and opened hood corners. Once the fire darkened down, the assistant chief and deputy chief began to manipulate the latching mechanism on the hood to open the hood. This process took approximately five minutes due to damage to the latch. The deputy chief was not wearing an SCBA. Once the hood was opened, the remainder of the visible fire was extinguished. It was immediately noticed that gasoline was running from a metal fuel line that had burned through. The assistant chief made several attempts with a pair of pliers to crimp the line, which seemed to pressurize the gasoline and aerosolize it over the engine. At the same time, the deputy chief was attempting to find and disconnect the car battery with a firefighter from the second engine. The battery was not located as it is located within the wheel well and not accessible. Gasoline continued to spray over the engine and onto the parking lot. Oil dry was placed around the car and downhill to collect the gasoline and the company’s utility crew was requested to the scene with several more bags of absorbent. The firefighter on the hose line continued to wet the car to try to prevent the gasoline from igniting. The assistant chief continued to attempt to crimp the gas line. The deputy chief took a bolt cutter and attempted to cut several wiring harnesses trying to de-energize the fuel pump. This caused several sparks from a fuse module and electrical distribution box; they were damaged by fire and all the copper wiring was exposed. At this point, the assistant chief’s SCBA ran out of air and he removed his mask. The nozzle was shut down to allow the deputy chief to work. As he made another cut with the bolt cutter, sparks from the cutting ignited the flowing gasoline on the engine and on the ground. The deputy chief and the second firefighter were able to turn as the gasoline ignited around them to avoid any contact with the flames. They moved quickly to safety. The nozzleman, backed up by the assistant chief, advanced the line back into position to knock down the flames, with exception of the flowing gasoline from the broken gas line. The deputy chief retrieved a 20-pound ABC dry chemical fire extinguisher from the fire engine and was able to extinguish the remaining fire. The company chief ordered all attempts to secure the electric to stop in order to avoid further electrical arching. The assistant chief used a locking plier to crimp the broken gas line. Absorbent was spread across the area to absorb the spilled gasoline. Once the gas line was secured, the car was towed from the scene. Fortunately, no members were injured. The assistant chief’s turnout gear was removed from service to be cleaned. While discussing this report with your crew, consider the following questions as it applies to your department. • What are the different gpm flows for the hand lines on your front line ap-
OKC Fire Department paratus, and what are the necessary flow rates for controlling a gasoline-fueled fire. Which line is preferred? • What methods do you use for opening a hood? Do you consider examining and operating different hood lock mechanisms when practicing extrication? Are there salvage yards in your area where you could look at these mechanisms? • Are you familiar with the automobiles that locate the battery in an area other than the engine compartment? Where are some of these locations? Consider researching car makes and models that locate batteries in unusual locations. • Is there a reason why fuel lines could be pressurized other than an electrical pump? • When a fuel leak is noted during a vehicle fire, what is a safe distance for crews to work near the automobile?
Lessons Learned The biggest lesson learned was that there were two hazards that alone would have not been bad, but when happening simultaneously created a hazard for the firefighters. The first hazard was the flowing gasoline and the second was the un-securable damaged electrical system. We learned: 1) Once the joint hazards were identified, crews should have stepped back and a decision should have been made on which created the greatest hazard and which was the easiest to mitigate. 2) A plan should have been put in place to mitigate the hazards. 3) With the flowing gasoline, a dry chemical fire extinguisher should have been brought from the fire engine sooner, prior to attempting to stop the flow of gasoline. One of the firefighters from the second engine should have operated this extinguisher. 4) The MDT on the fire engine should have been used to research the emergency fuel shutoff on this vehicle and to attempt to find the battery (to see if it was accessible). 5) A second line should have been stretched from the fire engine prior to the incident expanding. 6) The deputy chief should have been wearing an SCBA when involved in the firefighting operation. 7) The assistant chief should have removed himself from the firefighting operation when his air ran out and he removed his mask. 8) An ambulance should have been requested to the scene or dispatched when it was determined that it was a working vehicle fire. You may never have a fire like this one. However, many of the obstacles encountered at this fire could apply to any automobile fire. Knowing some of the things that make vehicle types different can provide the information you need to manage it safely. Approaching the fire from a 45-degree angle can keep you away from hood and bumper struts that can become projectiles. Cooling the fire from a distance before approaching could prevent a fuel tank rupture from overcoming your crew. Wearing your SCBA any time you are in an IDLH atmosphere and approaching from uphill will help keep protective clothing and your lungs from becoming contaminated. IDLH = Immediately Dangerous to Life and Health; any breath of smoke immediately affects you. In addition, some vehicles hold pressure in the fuel tank. Venting the gas cap when the fire is controlled can relieve pressure in the fuel line. A final thought that was mentioned is having a dry chemical extinguisher or back-up line ready as a secondary means of extinguishment. When gasoline is floating on the water used to extinguish the fire it can be difficult to tell how far it has spread. These are only a few examples of the obstacles to consider. If you have encountered a vehicle fire, where a significant challenge gives a good example of this type of event I would like to read about it. The national reporting system at www.Firefighternearmiss.com is a database for firefighters to share and learn about the types of events you experience. It only takes a few minutes to share your experience, and you could help save someone’s life. Thanks for reading.
14September 2018Oklahoma Firefighter
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Chaplain’s corner Jacob Toews
Calera FD Chaplain
Words Are Powerful Willie Mays began his Major League Baseball career with only one hit in his first 26 at-bats. Though he went on to hit 660 home runs, and steal more than 300 bases, his debut was To post prayer requests and so unimpressive it seemed unlikely he would find up-to-date information on last more than a few weeks as a big-leaguer, the Oklahoma Fire Chaplains, let alone become one of the greatest to play go to www.okfirechaplains.org. the game. The turning point for Mays occurred when his manager, Leo Durocher, found him crying in the dugout after yet another miserable performance at the plate. The coach put his arm around Mays and said, “What’s the matter, son?” Mays said, “I can’t hit up here. I belong in the minor leagues.” Leo said this to Willie: “As long as I’m manager of the Giants, you’ll be my centerfielder.” You know how the story ends. It wasn’t long before Mays began hitting the ball, and he was on his way to becoming a legend of the game. If Willie had been left alone in the dugout that day, his career might have ended before it started. Fortunately for him, someone believed in him even when he didn’t believe in himself. Leo’s speech wasn’t “You’re a disappointment. You’re costing the team. You’re on the verge on blowing your big chance!” He simply said, “I know that you can make it.” Is there someone in your life who needs your vote of confidence? Someone who’s ready to give up? Someone who no longer believes in their ability to do what God has called them to do? Spouse? Coworker? Child? You have the opportunity to lift them up. Your words -- your confidence -- can help get them back up. Paul recognized the value of encouragement in the lives of believers and firefighters. Have you ever noticed how often in the New Testament the word “strengthen” accompanies the word “encouragement?” When you offer encouragement to others, you quite literally renew their strength. Take a look around you today. There may be a future Hall-of-Famer who needs a good word from you. Give them some encouragement.
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Oklahoma FirefighterSeptember 201815
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16September 2018Oklahoma Firefighter
22nd Annual David Bain
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Oklahoma FirefighterSeptember 201817
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Steve Lumry Adds Executive Director to Long List of OSFA Undertakings
18September 2018Oklahoma Firefighter
O
The theme for the 111th OSFA
n July 1, 2018, Steve Lumry became the ninth Executive Director for the Oklahoma State Firefighters Association (OSFA). Prior to that, he held numerous positions within the organization that has been working to protect and improve the Oklahoma Fire Service since 1894. Lumry’s OSFA involvement started in 1989 when he attended his first OSFA Convention as an Oklahoma City Fire Department delegate. The next year, he landed a spot on the Educational Advisory Committee. And while he was rising up the ranks at OCFD -- all the way to Battalion Chief 604A at Station 30 -- he was doing his part to be a part of the OSFA.
Convention -- the one Lumry presided over as President in 2005 -- was “All for One and One for All.” In other words, each individual should act for the benefit of the group, and the group should act for the benefit of each individual. Lumry has been doing that for some time now, and he plans to continue doing so as OSFA Executive Director.
Among Lumry’s OSFA endeavors over the years:
• Safety and Health Committee member (1991-1999) • Chairman of Safety and Health Committee (1994-1999) • Legislative Committee member (1997-2001) • Chairman of Legislative Committee (2000-2001) • OSFA Special Projects (1999-2009) • OSFA Convention Chairman (2000) • Served on and chaired all OSFA Convention Committees • OSFA Website design and coordinator (2000-2009) • OSFA Email Blast concept, inception and coordinator (2000-2009; 2015- present) • OSFA Legislative Program assistant (2000-2009) • OSFA Convention Coordinator or Co-Coordinator (2001-2009) • OSFA Executive Board member (2001-2006) • OSFA President (2005) • OSFA Representative to NFPA Technical Correlating Committee on Fire & Emergency Services Protective Clothing & Equipment Committee (2000-2009) • OSFA Representative and Recording Secretary for NFPA Technical Committee on Fire and Emergency Services Electronic Safety Equipment (from inception until 2009) • OSFA Committee Liaison to all committees (2000-2009)
• OSFA Convention Special Assistant (2015) • OSFA Special Projects (Feb. 2015 to Sept. 2015) • OSFA Administrative Director (2015-2018) • OSFA Committee Liaison for all committees (2015-2018)
With Mike Kelley
I
n a recent question-andanswer session with Oklahoma Firefighter, Lumry shared his thoughts on being a firefighter and his hopes for the future. Age? Actual 55, look 65, feel 35. Years served in the Fire Service? Nicoma Park Volunteer Fire Department (1985, 1987-1988); Oklahoma City Fire Department (1986-2015). Yes, I played the two-hatter role for a little while.
With Chis Goodwin and Tommy Iago
Firefighting positions/titles you’ve held? Volunteer Firefighter & Captain; Paid Fire Recruit, Firefighter, Sergeant, Lieutenant, Captain, Major, District Chief, Battalion Chief, and finally the best position - Retiree. Other Fire Service related jobs/titles/positions you’ve held? OSFA Executive Board & President; Firefighters Pension System Executive Board & Chairman; OKC Firefighters VEBA Trust Board and Chairman; Local 157 Executive Board, Executive Vice President, Budget Committee Chairman, Grievance Committee Chairman, and Negotiation Committee; Fire Chief’s appointment to chair the joint committee to write the first drug testing policy for OKC; and a few other things, as well. When did you know you wanted to be a Firefighter? Thought about it when I was in grade school because a friend of mine’s dad was a Midwest City Firefighter and we got to visit the fire station a few times. Always knew I want to work in something that helped people. I also still remember that 4th grade field trip tour of the Oklahoma Firefighters Museum and Sam Oruch telling us all about it.
With OCFD Retirees
What did you like best about being a Firefighter? That feeling of satisfaction after doing your best to help someone in need. You know, that feeling of a job well done. What have been some highlights of your fire service career so far? Getting to work with the best people in the world. Why did you decide to apply for the OSFA Executive Director position? I felt like I could use the vast experience that I had built up over the years to continue the tradition of great service to the OSFA members.
Steve Lumry as OSFA President in 2005 and OCFD Battalion Chief in 2008
What are your hopes for the future? I hope to leave things better than I found them (which was in pretty great shape) and at least meet the high expectations of the OSFA membership. And I hope to get our retirees a CPI-U catch up!
With Shane Williams, Brian Foughty a
Oklahoma FirefighterSeptember 201819
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Several EVTCC Refresher Classes Will Be Offered --EVTCC Testing is October 12-Cost:
$175 per person (lunches provided)
Does Not Include EVTCC Testing Must Pre-Register With EVTCC (www.evtcc.org) Register: www.okevt.org OklahomaEVT/Facebook Robert Sanders 3328 NW 27th St, OKC, OK 73107 rob1450@cox.net • 405-517-1861 With OCFD Chief Keith Bryant
“Coolest Retirement Cake Ever!”
Host Hotel: Fairfield Marriott Edmond / 405-341-4818 Book by Sept. 24 for discount opportunity
FIRE & AMBULANCE CLASSES
Oct. 9-10
F-1 Maintenance, Inspection & DO 1 Testing of Fire Apparatus/Driver Operator
Oct. 9
F-3 Fire Pumps & Acessories
Oct. 11-12 F-5 Aerial Fire Apparatus Oct. 10
F-7 Foam
AMBULANCE CLASSES
Oct. 11
E-0 Maintenance, Inspection & Testing of Ambulances
Oct. 12
E-4 Ambulance Cab, Chassis & Powertrain
FOR APPLICATION & SCHEDULE: www.okevt.org With Herb Bradshaw
20September 2018Oklahoma Firefighter
n
Women’s Aux report Marti Carpenter
Jr Board Member
“I’m pulling over! That’s the most beautiful fire station I’ve ever seen!” That’s what my husband Clay (Warr Acres FD) said as we were making our way through the winding roads of Mashantucket Connecticut looking for The Foxwoods Casino and Resort. We had to stop and take this place in. Clay and I along with our son, his new wife, and her mother made our way into the lobby area of the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Fire & Emergency Services complex. We were greeted by Probationary Firefighter Tyler Clark who was the most gracious host. He proudly guided us on a tour of the entire fire station and allowed us to peek into every vehicle in their expansive fleet which included a fully equipped Humvee that was used for wild land firefighting. Firefighter Clark and his Superiors told us that their equipment was not put into use until it was blessed by tribal elders and that they were actually the first tribal department to join IAFF. This little detour turned this part of our vacation into a truly memorable experience. I hope everyone had the chance to take a break this summer and enjoy Labor Day. The summer passed so quickly and I know that it is “Back to School” time for many of us. I encourage everyone to be mindful of school zones and be sure to let our teachers know that we appreciate them. As always, if anyone should have any questions about starting up an auxiliary or wishes to join the OSFA Women’s Auxiliary, please reach out to me or any board member. And please join us on Facebook where we will update everyone of any gatherings or events.
2018-19 OSFA Women’s Auxiliary Executive Board PRESIDENT: Erica Koch ejv97@cox.net (405) 308-2010
JR BD MEMBER: Marti Carpenter marticarpenter@att.net (405) 590-4608
VICE PRESIDENT: Susan Walker sw233821@gmail.com (580) 351-4116
PAST PRESIDENT: Tennie Green tennie.green@gmail.com (918) 440-7060
BUMPER 1
Oklahoma FirefighterSeptember 201821
BUMPER
HEAD 2 TOE
S 788E2 CUTTER n Built for high-strength steel of today’s & tomorrow’s vehicles
n Simulate SCBA breathing without draining tanks
n Wide cutter opening at 7.87 inches
n Made in the USA for firefighters by firefighters
n Blade reach of 6.02 inches
n Structural Gear n Tech Rescue / Extrication n Suspenders / Gloves / Hoods
TERESA ELLIS n Sales Representative 405.202.4124 n tellis@mesfire.com
DAVID MOORE n Scott / Hurst Service 214.724.6989 n dmoore@mesfire.com
n (800) 779-5521 n www.CONRADFIRE.com n (913) 780-5521
Conrad Fire Equipment and Ryan Reeves would like to thank and congratulate the Guthrie OK Fire Department on their recent purchase of this 110’ Ascendant aerial.
STEVE MARTIN (405) 620-1891
CARY PROVENCE (405) 623-8216
RYAN REEVES (405) 269-3844
ROGER BROWN (785) 865-6941
Firefighters Serving Firefighters
22September 2018Oklahoma Firefighter
n
Museum news Gene Brown Museum Director geneb@osfa.info 405-424-3440
From High Pressure Skids to Brush and Rescue Trucks, call today and let Unruh Fire design and do a custom build to meet your needs.
Hello Everyone! The 19th annual Statewide Memorial Service will be held Oct. 7 at the Oklahoma Firefighters Museum and OSFA Complex. We look forward to a great turnout to remember our brothers and sisters who have passed this year. This is an opportunity to support the family’s in their time of loss. We will cry a little and laugh a little. But most important of all, we will be together. The service will begin at 2 p.m. Please feel free to come early. The fundraising is underway for the Museum expansion. We are very excited with what the future holds for the Memorial and Museum. This will be a new era for the Museum. We look forward to the new educational area. Our goal is to be able to assist all the departments in the state with public education. The Pub-Ed Committee is working very hard to make this dream a reality. I am very proud to be able to work with a such great group of professionals. Take care of yourselves! Have a great day!
VISIT YOUR OKLAHOMA FIREFIGHTERS MUSEUM 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
Advantages of enrolling at OSU-OKC:
Affordable classes | Transferable | Mostly online | Certificate evaluation for credit Regionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.
Contact Lynn at 405.945.6738 or Maribeth at 405.945.3248.
AN OSU DEGREE IN OKC
Oklahoma FirefighterSeptember 201823
ARDIAN IS A PROUD PARTNER OF THE OKLAHOMA STATE FIREFIGHTERS’ ASSOCIATION
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24September 2018Oklahoma Firefighter
Oklahoma FirefighterSeptember 201825
Poteau Fire Department -- Those Were The Days EDITOR’S NOTE: J. Pete Hopkins wrote a 6-part series for The Poteau Daily News on the Poteau Fire Department. He granted permission to OSFA to re-print the articles over the next few issues. Following are Parts 3 & 4.
A NEW FIRE TRUCK By J. Pete Hopkins Poteau received a new fire truck in December 1947 or January 1948. I was at the KCS depot when the truck arrived and watched as it was unloaded from a boxcar. It wasn’t a typical boxcar with a door on the side. The back end of this boxcar opened. I photographed the truck after it was backed out of the boxcar onto a flatbed truck and was being inspected by Ben Gedosh, Amos Rowley and Buck Garrett. Until recently, I always thought of this truck as “the 1949 truck.” However, thanks to the efforts of Robert H. Noll, archivist at the Oklahoma State Firefighters Museum in Oklahoma City, I now know: The truck was built at the America LaFrance Plant in Elmira, New York. It is built on a 1946 Ford truck chassis and listed as a Ford pumper F-450, 1947 model. The American LaFrance Registration is #F-2256, Sales order #3584. It was shipped by rail from Elmira, New York on Dec. 23, 1947. After arriving in Poteau, the truck was washed and inspected by the firemen. After being unloaded from the boxcar, one of the first stops was at Leroy Vest’s Conoco Service Station at the corner of Dewey Avenue and Harper Street. The water tank was filled and the pump for the small hose was tested. After other testing and ‘getting familiar’ with the new truck, the firemen installed the new large hose in the hose bed. The truck was then parked behind the main door of the fire station at the back of City Hall. It was identified as Truck #3. The open-cab Truck #2 was moved to the area facing the back door. The older truck #1 was parked to the left of #2, between #2 and the wall. A few years later, in the mid or late 1950s, all three trucks were housed in a new fire station adjacent to City Hall with three bays facing Dewey Avenue. Sometime around 1957 or 1958, there was a large grass fire in a pasture south of town. I had accompanied my Dad to the fire in our car. I would have been 19 years old. They had taken the old #2 truck to the fire and the new chief, Ben Gedosh, asked Dad to go back to the station and get the #3 truck. I went with him and was sitting in the passenger seat as we pulled out of the station on to Dewey Avenue. He was letting me push the button controlling the siren. As we turned off Dewey Avenue, heading south on South McKenna, he told me “That’s enough!” I guess that I was getting a little ‘carried away’ with my duties. Today, the main fire station is known as Garrett #1. It is located west of the intersection of Rogers Street and Peters Street. This is near where storage tanks for DX Sunray gasoline were located back in the 1940s and 50s. Buck Garrett drove tanker trucks from that location for several years delivering gasoline to area service stations. Truck #3 is now 71 years old. It is kept inside the main station and is no longer used to fight fires. However, it is used for other purposes, such as parades and funerals. In May, 2009, I watched as Buck Garrett’s casket was loaded into the back of Truck #3, the truck he had driven for many years to many fires. Funeral processions are usually solemn processions, traveling at a fairly slow speed. Not this one! From the First Baptist Church, the route followed Parker Avenue to Broadway, then south to Rogers Street, then, past Garrett #1 station, to South Harper Street, then on to the cemetery. In the next installment, I’ll write about the “new” fire station that was built in the 1950s next to the old City Hall, facing Dewey Avenue. Then, in the mid 1980’s, an auxiliary fire station was built in north
J. Pete Hopkins – Accidental Writer Pete Hopkins was born and raised in Poteau. He graduated from Poteau HS in 1956. After three years of college and three different jobs, he moved to Tulsa in 1966 and has lived in the Tulsa area since then. Most of his career was as an Electrical Designer for major pipelines or consulting engineering firms. His first attempt at writing was about the hood ornaments designed by George Petty for Nash automobiles from 1951 through 1954. The article was featured in the Sept. 9, 1998, edition of Antique Trader magazine and was later reprinted in The Nash Times. Pete wrote numerous articles for the Poteau Alumni Association when he was editor of their newsletter between 2006-2015. He has had a weekly article in the Poteau Daily News since September 2017, including this series about the Poteau Fire Department. Poteau, near the ‘Y’ where North Paul Mathies Drive intersects Circle Drive. This is near where Bassett’s grocery was located years ago. Now, a third station has been located further north of town. I recently visited with Poteau Fire Chief Jon Pickel at Garrett #1 station near downtown. We were searching Truck #3 for the American LaFrance nameplate with the truck serial number. Sitting in the passenger seat, I opened the glove box and saw the Maintenance Manual for the 1946 Ford Truck. We later found the nameplate, under the hood, on the firewall, on the driver’s side of the truck. Sitting there, in the cab of #3, sure brought back some memories. I was one of the lucky ones. My Dad was a fireman back in the 1940s and 50s. We could do things then that wouldn’t be allowed today. But ... Those were the days!
A NEW FIRE STATION This article was originally planned to discuss my memories of the “new” station building constructed in 1957. However, as the story evolved, it was expanded to include the three stations included in The Poteau Fire Depart-
ment today. For this article, I have asked others to help with some dates and information. I want to thank current Fire Chief Jon Pickel, Buck Garrett’s daughter, Lynda, retired firemen Bob Lindstrom and Harrell Bright for their help. Previously, I shared my memories about Poteau’s first fire trucks #1 and #2. Last installment, I wrote about the new Truck #3 that arrived around Christmas Day of 1947. Those three trucks were housed in the garage at the back of the old City Hall. With the addition of Truck #3, the garage was full, but served adequately for the next 10 years. The city bought a new GMC Fire Truck in 1957. However, that truck was too long and wouldn’t fit in the old station. The solution was to construct a new building. A new “fire station” was built adjacent to the City Hall building. It was built in two stages by the firemen and other volunteer labor. The first stage included three bays facing Dewey Avenue with enough room for three fire trucks. My Dad probably assisted in installing the electrical lights and switches. The older garage, at the back of City Hall, may have been used for storing some equipment and the hose dryer oven. Later, the new building was expanded by adding 20 feet across the back, creating room for four trucks, other equipment and a table for their meetings. There was a button, or switch, for the large siren on top of City Hall, located near the door, on the wall nearest the Frisco railroad tracks. (You may not remember the Frisco Railroad going through Poteau. What is now the Poteau City Hall was the old Frisco station building. The extension of the Frisco route from Fort Smith, through “Indian Territory” to Paris, Texas was built in 1886. The Frisco Railroad merged into the Burlington Northern Railroad in 1980. The line through Poteau was abandoned in 1984.) The new station (on Dewey Avenue) was later named Garrett #1 Station. A cornerstone engraved “GARRETT #1 in appreciation of STEVE ‘BUCK’ GARRETT JR. for his service to the Poteau Fire Department, OCT. 3, 1982” was installed. A second station was built in north Poteau in the mid 1980s. Reed Station #2 was built near the intersection of North Paul Mathies Drive and Circle Drive. The Roy Reed Trust donated the land and the building to the city. Then, around 2001 or 2002, the current Main Fire Station was built about a block south of Dewey Avenue near the intersection of Rogers Street and Peters Street. This station is now known as Garrett #1. The cornerstone mentioned above was moved from the building on Dewey Avenue to the newer station. Buck Garrett was usually the driver of the first truck to leave the station on the way to a fire. Back in the 40s, he drove a DX Sunray gasoline delivery truck. He was often the first to arrive at the station, and he was familiar with driving large trucks. I interviewed him in 2008 for an article in our Poteau High School Alumni Association newsletter. (This article was reprinted in its entirety in the Poteau Daily News after Buck’s death on May 3, 2009.) Jon Pickel explained about the funding for construction of the new Garrett #1 station. When the Frisco Railroad abandoned their route through Poteau, the land and properties reverted back to the city. The City kept some land and properties and sold others. Using the funds received, they remodeled the Frisco station building for use as the present City Hall, built the new Police Department building, and built the new Garrett #1 Station. More recently, a third Fire Station was added, further north, west of the highway on Michele Lane. This is known as Smedley Station 3. Bob and Gayle Smedley and their son Robert donated the land and the building. Today, what was the new fire station in 1957 is now part of the Bridgeman Furniture complex. The three overhead doors are still there. If you look close, you can still see “POTEAU FIRE DEPARTMENT” painted in red letters above the doors. A lot has changed in the 61 years since 1957, when this building was Poteau’s only fire station. But ... Those were the days!
26September 2018Oklahoma Firefighter ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF Chase Rankin
William M. Carter/Moore - Application For “Disability In The Line Of Duty” Pension, Effective July 1, 2018: Motion was made by Long and seconded by Lay to approve the Application for “Disability in the Line of Duty”, effective July 1, 2018. Ayes: Lay, Cramer, Davidson, Cassady, Harlow, Long, Vanhorn, Kohls, Combs, Kelley, and Rodriguez. Nayes: None. Motion carried. Jaret C. Craig/Oklahoma City – Application For “Disability In The Line Of Duty” Pension, Effective July 1, 2018: Motion was made by Cramer and seconded by Long to approve the Application for “Disability in the Line of Duty”, effective July 1, 2018. Ayes: Lay, Cramer, Davidson, Kohls, Cassady, Harlow, Long, Vanhorn, Combs, Kelley, and Rodriguez. Nayes: None. Motion carried. Jeffrey D. Johnson /Oklahoma City Application For “Disability In The Line Of Duty” Pension, Effective July 1, 2018: Motion was made by Long and seconded by Lay to approve the Application for “Disability in the Line of Duty”, effective July 1, 2018 Ayes: Lay, Davidson, Kohls, Combs, Cramer, Cassady, Harlow, Long, Vanhorn, Kelley, and Rodriguez. Nayes: None. Motion carried. Bradley J. Michaud /Oklahoma City – Application For Disability In The Line Of Duty” Pension, Effective July 1, 2018: Motion was made by Long and seconded by Lay to approve the Application for “Disability in the Line of Duty”, effective July 1, 2018. Ayes: Lay, Cramer, Davidson, Cassady, Kohls, Combs, Harlow, Long, Vanhorn, Kelley, and Rodriguez. Nayes: None. Motion carried. Matthew Paschal/Oklahoma City – Application For Disability In The Line Of Duty” Pension, Effective July 1, 2018: Motion was made by Vanhorn and seconded by Kelley to approve the Application for “Disability in the Line of Duty”, effective July 1, 2018. Ayes: Lay, Cramer, Davidson, Cassady, Kohls, Combs, Harlow, Long, Vanhorn, Kelley, and Rodriguez. Nayes: None. Motion carried. Richard E. Schmitt/Oklahoma City – Application For Disability In The Line Of Duty” Pension, Effective July 1, 2018: Motion was made by Kelley and seconded by Vanhorn to modify the Application for “Disability in the Line of Duty” to “Service” effective July 1, 2018. Ayes: Lay, Cramer, Davidson, Cassady, Kohls, Combs, Harlow, Long, Vanhorn, Kelley, and Rodriguez. Nayes: None. Motion carried. David B. Staples/Oklahoma City – Application For Disability In The Line Of Duty” Pension, Effective July 1, 2018: Motion was made by Cramer and seconded by Long to approve the Application for “Disability in the Line of Duty”, effective July 1, 2018. Ayes: Lay, Cramer, Davidson, Cassady, Kohls,
Combs, Harlow, Long, Vanhorn, Kelley, and Rodriguez. Nayes: None. Motion carried. Jimmy L. Taylor Jr./Oklahoma City – Application For Disability In The Line Of Duty” Pension, Effective July 1, 2018: Motion was made by Long and seconded by Lay to approve the Application for “Disability in the Line of Duty”, effective July 1, 2018. Ayes: Lay, Cramer, Davidson, Cassady, Kohls, Combs, Harlow, Long, Vanhorn, Kelley, and Rodriguez. Nayes: None. Motion carried. Adam M. Welliver/Oklahoma City – Application For Disability In The Line Of Duty” Pension, Effective July 1, 2018: Motion was made by Vanhorn and seconded by Long to approve the Application for “Disability in the Line of Duty”, effective July 1, 2018. Ayes: Lay, Cramer, Davidson, Cassady, Harlow, Long, Vanhorn, Kelley, and Rodriguez. Nayes: Kohls and Combs. Motion carried. Lee A. Horst/Tulsa /Oklahoma City – Application For Disability In The Line Of Duty” Pension, Effective July 1, 2018: Motion was made by Lay and seconded by Harlow to modify the Application for “Disability in the Line of Duty”, to “Service” effective July 1, 2018. Ayes: Lay, Cramer, Davidson, Cassady, Kohls, Combs, Harlow, Long, Vanhorn, Kelley, and Rodriguez. Nayes: None. Motion carried. Robert E. Peters/Tulsa /Oklahoma City – Application For Disability In The Line Of Duty” Pension, Effective July 1, 2018: Motion was made by Lay and seconded by Harlow to modify the Application for “Disability in the Line of Duty”, to “Service” effective July 1, 2018. Ayes: Lay, Cramer, Davidson, Cassady, Kohls, Combs, Harlow, Long, Vanhorn, Kelley, and Rodriguez. Nayes: None. Motion carried. Matthew Carter/Oklahoma City Request To Modify Pension From “Service” To “Disability In The Line Of Duty”: Motion was made by Vanhorn and seconded by Rodriguez to approve the request of Carter based on the medical information provided. Ayes: Lay, Cramer, Davidson, Cassady, Long, Harlow, Vanhorn, Kohls, Combs, Kelley and Rodriguez. Nayes: None. Motion carried. Andrew E. Munsey/Oklahoma City Request To Modify From “Disability Not In The Pension To “Disability In The Line Of Duty”: Motion was made by Cramer and seconded by Long to approve the request of Gay based on the injury reported. Ayes: Lay, Davidson, Cramer, Cassady, Long, Combs, Harlow, Vanhorn, Kelley, and Rodriguez. Nayes: Kohls. Motion carried. Carey E. Clubb/Tulsa – Request To Modify From “Service” To “Disabilty In The Line Of Duty”: No action taken.
Vicki Mulbery
Executive Secretary
James Reynolds
n July 20, 2018 MEETING
Member Services Coordinator
Terri Williams
Executive Director
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
Martha Pierce
Accounts Payable Administrator
Than Dinh
Assistant Director (COO)
Controller
Duane Michael
Keely Swonger
Thelisha Clark
Records Administrator
Latoya Battle
Assistant Controller
Assistant Director (CFO)
Data Processor
n CONSENT AGENDA (August 17, 2018) CHECKS TERMINATED IN JULY 2018 (Deceased): Arnett Bartlesville Dewey El Reno Enid Eufaula Fairview Foss Geronimo Locust Grove Mangum Oklahoma City Ponca City Skiatook Stratford Sterling Yukon
Glen Bullard Mary Watters Tommy E. Short Bill G. Williams Glorene Clover Tommy D. Dowling Frances Sholtess Clarence A. Price Mary I. Alvarez Jay H. Turner Darroll G. Bell Mary M. Phillips Harold L. Vanarsdale Dorothy J. Pippin Bernadean L. Freeman Leroy E. Green Robert W. Russell
APPLICATION FOR ENTRANCE INTO PENSION: Coalgate Coweta Duncan Duncan Duncan Duncan Duncan Hugo Hugo Hugo McAlester OKC OKC OKC OKC OKC OKC OKC OKC OKC OKC OKC OKC OKC OKC OKC OKC OKC Seminole Stillwater Stillwater Stillwater Stillwater Tonkawa
Michael Juristy Garrett Guttman Matthew J. Labyer David Rodriguez-Lopez Blaine S. Richardson Dylan J. Garcia David Weske Dylon B. Garcia Anthony Samuels Josh Williams Joseph Morgan Cara Bohanna Jacob Deloach Chelsey Dillon Logan Durham Dusty Embery Taylor Hurst Jeffery Jackson Jonathan Lum Lane Mcclelland Matthew Mallory Joseph Marlow Austin Owens Earl Reed Mason Rickner Garrett White Hunter Wilkerson Skyler Wooster Merrick Ashby Emily Houser Holden Hunsinger Jimmy Sparks Caleb White Matthew Dennis
APPLICATION FOR SERVICE PENSION continued: 08/01/2018 Loco Melvin D. Jones 08/01/2018 Marlow Jeffrey C. Prater 08/01/2018 Meeker David E. Mcdaniel 08/01/2018 Oaks Adam R. Armbrister 08/01/2018 Oklahoma City Robert E. Crisp 08/29/2018 Regan-Johnston Eric G. Coll 11/01/2017 Rush Springs Kyle R. Foster 08/01/2018 Savanna Darrell Cable 07/14/2018 Shidler Terry E. York APPLICATION FOR SURVIVING SPOUSE: 08/01/2018
APPLICATION FOR SURVIVING SPOUSE FOR CONTINUATION: 08/01/2018 08/01/2018 07/01/2018 07/01/218
Cordell
Ashlei Wilson Michael Morelli Cody D. Woods Jeremy Stovall Bobby Smith Matthew Kitchens Derek R. Waters Raymond B. Sellers
Agra Avant Clayton Covington Dewey Eakly Elk City Fairfax Loco
Pat Lawver, Widow Of Wayne E. Lawver Kriss G. Morgan, Widow Of Joe D. Morgan Dana Yowell, Widow Of Joe Yowell Grace E. Creps, Widow Of Monte A. Creps
Enid Hugo McAlester Miami Norman Poteau Sallisaw Shawnee
02/06/2006 10/12/2013 03/16/2011 09/12/2004 01/05/2004 05/08/2015 03/12/2012 04/25/2012
02/18/2007 07/08/2018 07/26/2018 08/03/2018 09/30/2017 11/15/2017 06/12/2018 07/13/2013
$5,000.00 DEATH BENEFIT: Checotah El Reno Enid Eufaula Nash OKC Perry Maramec Miami Ryan Ryan Ryan Shawnee Shawnee Warr Acres Washington Watonga
David W. Gray
APPLICATION FOR SERVICE PENSION: 08/03/2018 08/01/2018 08/01/2018 07/01/2018 08/01/2018 08/01/2018 08/01/2018 08/01/2018 08/01/218
Enid Miami Reydon Watonga
REFUND OF CONTRIBUTIONS: Hired Terminated
APPLICATION FOR VESTED BENEFIT: 08/19/2018
Mountain View County Gayle Moore, Widow Of James E. Moore (Deceased 04/19/2015
Ronald D. Pendergraff Phillip R. Schwartz Fred E. Laurence Jr. Sondra L. Easterly Dale L. Little Lloyd Lasley Lonnie D. Myers Robert T. Kelly Vernon Dunn Jr.
Garrett Funeral Home On Behalf Of Otis R. Brewer Kenneth Williams, Death Recipient Of Bill Williams Pat Lawver, Widow Of Wayne E. Lawver Hunn Black & Merritt On Behalf Of Thomas D. Dowling Darrell Todd, Co-Death Recipient Of Floyd W. Todd Hibbs Funeral On Behalf Of Karl O. Loessin Dighton-Marler Funeral On Behalf Of David E. Luthye Poteet Funeral Home On Behalf Of Jerry D. Keeton Brown-Winters Funeral Home On Behalf Of Joe Morgan Shelley Winn, Co-Death Recipient Of Jesse J. Williams Jesse J. Williams, Co-Death Recipient Of Jesse J. Williams James Williams, Co-Death Recipient Of Jesse J. Williams Sherrie McDaniels, Co-Death Recip. For Floyd Cranford Bob Cranford, Co-Death Recipient For Floyd Cranford Agent Mallory Martin On Behalf Of David E. Terrill Wilson Little Funeral On Behalf Of Gary L. Bolser Grace Creps, Widow Of Monte A. Creps
Oklahoma Firefighterď źSeptember 2018ď ź27
www.blbglaw.com Trusted Advocacy. Proven Results.
Bernstein Litowitz Berger & Grossmann LLP is proud to support the
Oklahoma State Firefighters Association
28September 2018Oklahoma Firefighter
www.osufst.org
1723 West Tyler, Stillwater, OK 74078 • (800) 304-5727 • (405) 744-5727 • Fax: (405) 744-7377
September 2018 CLASS SCHEDULE Current as of August 21, 2018
Courses are subject to change • Call or check online for changes in courses
All courses are FREE unless otherwise noted
AHA Site Manager (70021)
Vehicle Rescue Technician
Air Management Course (70187)
• $300 - All Participants
Sept. 8-9 (16 hours)
Western Tech Center - Weatherford
Sept. 1 (4 hours)
OSU-FST Classroom
Level I Part A (69614) Grove Fire Department
Hazardous Materials Technician
Rope Rescue Technician
Sept. 4 (8 hours)
Sept. 8-9 (16 hours)
Refresher - Part A (66669)
Level I Part A (69998)
Fire Officer II: NFPA 1021,
Western Tech Center - Weatherford
Sept. 16 (4 hours)
Sept. 24-27 (40 hours)
Responder) Refresher (70192)
Hazardous Materials Awareness for
Claremore Fire Department
Western Tech Center - Weatherford
Certification (70334)
Curriculum Development
Kiamichi Tech Center - McAlester
Sept. 24-27 (32 hours)
Sept. 4-5 (16 hours)
Eufaula Community Center
Hazardous Materials Technician Refresher - Part A (66670) Sept. 5 (8 hours)
and Gas Emergency: (LPG) or (FLAG) Evaluation (70332) Sept. 8 (8 hours)
Leadership for Small Departments: Administration (70336) Sept. 15 (8 hours)
Kiamichi Tech Center - McAlester
Eufaula Community Center
Electrical Safety for First Responder
Pipeline Awareness for Excavators &
Hazardous Materials Technician for
Western Tech Center - Weatherford
Sept. 5 (4 hours)
Sept. 10-21 (80 hours)
Ardmore Fire Department
Emergency Responders (69595) Durant Civic Center/Library
WMD-HazMat Emergencies (66175) Norman Fire Dept. Training Center
Hazardous Materials Technician
First Responder (Emergency Medical
Sept. 6 (8 hours)
Sept. 10-11 (16 hours)
Refresher - Part A (66671) Ardmore Fire Department
Hazardous Materials Technician
Sept. 14 (6 hours)
Wildland Fire Fighting: Fundamentals (69832) Sept. 7-8 (16 hours)
Hydro Fire Department NIMS ICS 400 (EMI) Advanced
Incident Command System (68836) Sept. 8-9 (16 hours)
Yale Fire Department Responding to the MAYDAY (69278) Sept. 8 (8 hours)
and Gas Emergency: (LPG) or (FLAG) Sept. 15 (4 hours)
Western Tech Center - Weatherford
Sept. 16 (8 hours)
Structural Fire Scene Size Up (70182) Western Tech Center - Weatherford
Vehicle Rescue Technician
VFIS Traffic Incident Management
Sept. 15-16 (16 hours)
Sept. 16 (4 hours)
System (70183)
Western Tech Center - Weatherford
Rope Rescue Technician
Leadership for Small Departments:
Sept. 15-16 (16 hours)
Sept. 16 (8 hours)
Level I Part B (69999)
Blackwell Fire Department
Recruitment and Retention (70185)
Pump Operations (69465)
Western Tech Center - Weatherford
Western Tech Center - Weatherford
Sept. 16 (8 hours)
Chandler Fire Department
Leadership for Small Departments:
Hazardous Materials Awareness for
Pipeline Awareness for Excavators &
Sept. 15 (8 hours)
Sept. 16 (8 hours)
Emergency Responders (69596) Sept. 8 (4 hours)
Western Technology Center - Elk City
Western Tech Center - Weatherford
WMD-HazMat Emergencies (70333) Kiamichi Tech Center - McAlester
Exterior Offensive Fire Attack /
Leadership for Small Departments :
Sept. 15 (8 hours)
Sept. 16 (8 hours)
Structural Fire Scene Size Up (70181) Western Tech Center - Weatherford
through Key Gate which is off of I-44.
Muskogee Fire Department
and Testimony (R0208) (70297)
• $12000 - Out-of-state Responders • $8000 - Oklahoma Responders
(66689) Sept. 25 (8 hours)
Training (70337)
Kiamichi Tech Center - McAlester
WMD Refresher (67540)
Yukon Fire-EMS Training Center
Tulsa Community College Northeast
HazMat Tech Refresher - Part B
NIMS ICS 400 (EMI) Advanced
Muskogee Fire Department
Incident Command System (70161) Sept. 19-20 (16 hours)
Owasso, City of - Old Central Building Hazardous Materials Operations for WMD Refresher (69935) Sept. 22 (8 hours)
Broken Bow Fire Department First Responder (Emergency Medical Responder) Refresher (70137) Sept. 22-23 (16 hours)
• $1000 - All Participants OSU-FST Classroom
Sept. 22 (8 hours)
Air Management Course (70188)
Administration (70180)
HazMat Tech Refresher - Part B
All participants for this school must enter
Leadership for Small Departments:
Flammable Gas Emergencies (LPG)
Sept. 8 (8 hours)
Fort Sill - Snow Hall , Bld 730 Snow
Western Tech Center - Weatherford
Hominy Fire Department
(70170) Sept. 15 (12 hours)
Midwest City Fire Department
Sept. 25 (8 hours)
• $750 - All Participants
Red Bird Vol Fire Dept. - Coweta
Sept. 17-20 (25 hours)
• $4000 - Out-of-state Responders
Sept. 17-28 (66 hours)
Exterior Offensive Fire Attack /
Level I Part A (69622)
(PSC) L-962 (66223)
• $2500 - Oklahoma Responders
Western Tech Center - Weatherford
Sept. 15 (2 hours)
Healthcare Provider Instructor (70022)
OSU-FST Classroom
AHIMT - Planning Section Chief
(Instructor II) (70098)
Hazardous Materials Operations for
Evaluation (70171)
Cushing Fire Department
Sept. 16 (1 hour)
NFA - Fire Investigation: Interview
• $1000 - All Participants
AHA Basic Life Support (BLS)
WMD-HazMat Emergencies
• $5000 - Out-of-state Responders
ISO, What you need to know (70575)
Fire Fighter II Flammable Liquids
Refresher - Part A (70586) Sept. 6 (8 hours)
(70190) Sept. 15 (4 hours)
Responder) Refresher (70136)
OSU-FST Classroom
2014 Edition (70096)
• $3000 - Oklahoma Responders
Sept. 15-16 (16 hours)
Fire Fighter II Flammable Liquids
Train-the-Trainer (70186)
Western Tech Center - Weatherford
Flammable Gas Emergencies (LPG)
Department of Public Safety - OKC
Heart of Oklahoma Expo - Shawnee
(67801) Sept. 24-27 (32 hours)
VFIS Traffic Incident Managment
(70189) Sept. 15 (4 hours)
NIMS ICS 300 Intermediate ICS for
(70331) Sept. 8 (12 hours)
Western Tech Center - Weatherford
Electrical Safety for First Responder
First Responder (Emergency Medical
Expanding Incidents (68635)
Rope Rescue Technician Level II
Sept. 16 (2 hours)
Blackwell Fire Department
Ardmore Fire Department
ISO, What you need to know (70576)
Sept. 15 (8 hours)
(66690) Sept. 26 (8 hours)
Hazardous Materials Operations for WMD Refresher (67541) Sept. 26 (8 hours)
Yukon Fire-EMS Training Center AHA Heartsaver First Aid CPR AED (70023)
Sept. 27 (8 hours)
• $750 - All Participants OSU-FST Classroom
Emergency Response Symposium (70579) Sept. 27 (8 hours)
Payne County Expo Center
Tactics (70338)
EMS Instructor Workshop / Bridge
Kiamichi Tech Center - McAlester
• $650 - All Participants
Hazardous Materials Technician
(70024) Sept. 28 (4 hours) OSU-FST Classroom
Refresher - Part B (66688)
Pipeline Awareness for Excavators &
Muskogee Fire Department
Sept. 29 (4 hours)
Sept. 24 (8 hours)
Hazardous Materials Operations for
Emergency Responders (69597) Cushing Fire Department
WMD Refresher (67539)
Vehicle Rescue Technician Level I
Yukon Fire-EMS Training Center
Sept. 29-30 (16 hours)
Sept. 24 (8 hours)
Part A (70491)
Oaks Fire Department
Oklahoma FirefighterSeptember 201829
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Oklahoma Executive Fire Officer Leadership Program
fire service training Dr. Erick Reynolds
OSU FST Director
erick.reynolds@osufst.org • 405-744-5727 (W) • 405-409-0961 (C)
Greetings Brothers and Sisters! As I write this article, we are in mourning for a fallen brother. Please keep Assistant Chief Madison Clinton Jr. of the Friendship VFD and his family, friends and fellow firefighters in your thoughts and prayers! Rest in peace Brother! We’ve got it from here! Remember to tell those people in your lives that you love them!
FST was recently awarded an Assistance to Firefighter Grant. The proceeds from this grant will be used to purchase new LPG mobile props. These props will be used to train firefighters all over Oklahoma. We continue to stay busy conducting grain rescue/confined space training across the state. We recently finished a grain rescue class in Eastern Arkansas. FST continues to look at the possibility of starting a pre-employment fire academy. There are many things to consider and we are in the process of looking at the viability of doing this as we speak.
I want to give a shout out to Sally Knott! She retired recently from Oklahoma State University after 29 years. Many of those years were spent at Fire Service Training. We will miss her being here every day and miss her hard work and her making a difference in the lives of firefighters every day! We wish only the best for Sally in her future endeavors! We appreciate all of our training partners across the State of Oklahoma and could not do what we do without these valuable partnerships! Thank You for the willingness to partner with FST as we do our best to meet the training needs of Oklahoma firefighters! It is Fall and that means go-time at FST!
We are extremely busy at FST. We just finished fiscal year 2018 with approximately 31,000+ hours of training over the last year having trained over 38,000 students at over 4,000+ events. Thanks for all that you do each and every day as you serve the citizens of Oklahoma! Be safe out there!
Saxena White is Proud to Support the 124th Oklahoma State Firefighters Association’s Annual Convention
This program is a partnership between OSU-Fire Servce Training, Oklahoma Fire Chiefs Association (OFCA), Oklahoma State Firefighters Association (OSFA) and the office of the State Fire Marshal. The 160-hour program utilizes the curriculum from the International Public Safety Leadership & Ethics Institute and has been developed to bring the concepts of leadership and ethics to the forefront of an individual’s career. Cohort No. 4, 2019 Feb. 26-28 March 27-28 April 23-25 May 29-30 July 23-25 Aug. 28-29 Sept. 24-26 Oct. 30-31 Nov. 14 Graduation Applications Due By Dec. 7, 2018 Tuition: $1,800
Requirements: • 10 years in fire service • 3 years as an officer • Application (www.osufst.org) • Resume • 2-3 page letter stating why you should be chosen • Letters of commitment from your organization, your chief or officer and a community leader Scholarships available to pay tuition for one volunteer firefighter from each quadrant of the state
For more information, contact Jason Louthan at Jason.Louthan@osufst.org
30September 2018Oklahoma Firefighter
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OSFA Executive Board Highlights
Roll Call: Dereck Cassady, Present and presiding; Mike Kelley, Present; Eric Harlow, Present; Cliff Davidson, Present; Matt Lay, Present; Juan Rodriguez (ORFA), Present. Others: Steve Lumry, Gene Brown, Tim Bartram, Sheri Nickel, Amy Hall, Dr. Erick Reynolds, Bruce Anthony, Don Armes and Eric Hamilton. Guest: Candice Barber, Manhattan Life. Correspondence: Thank you letter from Brynnan Duncan for being chosen to receive a 2018 Stavros Scholarship. Fire Marshal Commission Report: Lay The Fire Marshal Commission is looking for agents and at this time they are not sending agents out unless it is an emergency after hours. Fire Service Training: Dr. Reynolds Fire Service Training appreciates the opportunity to be here and are crazy busy right now. The Oklahoma Executive Fire Officer Leadership Program (OKEFOLP) Program dates have been published and they have a flyer out on that. They have contacted pretty much everybody from last year, when they did not hold the class and they seem to be interested. They received word that they got their AFG Grant and they will be getting some new LPG Props because they have used them so much they have about burned them up. Tara Youngblood, Certification Coordinator, has given her resignation and they are looking to fill that spot. Sally Knott has given her resignation as office manager and they are looking to fill that spot, as well. At the Chief’s meeting Dr. Reynolds discussed doing an Academy. They get phone calls all the time about doing an Academy. They are having discussions with Meridian Technology Center, because they can’t offer GI Bill and some other things to have an Academy. He would like to thank the OSFA Board again for the Shey P. Francis Award. Museum Report: Brown Brown stated one of the big things they have had lately is the big air conditioner in the Museum died. He got up there and checked it and the blower motor, cooling fans and the condenser were bad and he fixed it himself to save money. The mowing is coming along, front trees trimmed and the Memorial pool is about half way to where we want it to be. We are making plans for the Memorial Golf Tournament that is being held Sept. 6, 2018. We are going to have a Memorial Committee meeting to see if we can get help from the committee to move that along starting on the Statewide Memorial. The Red Book sales, which had been somewhat slow, have been picking up. Oklahoma City has an assessment coming up and that will help them out a lot on sales. There is a Museum Network Seminar coming up Sept. 6-9 in Cleveland. He would like the Board to approve for Noll and him to attend. Lumry stated there is a meeting next week of the sub-committee for the Museum Expansion to look at the video to clean it up a little more and make a few changes. He also stated the Museum Expansion letter of interest has been submitted for the first large donation through a Foundation and will hear more on that probably in September. We have some other good potential leads from that to another good Foundation. Public Education Committee Report: Brown Public Education Committee was looking at doing a video professionally but it is going to be very expensive. They are looking at doing it now themselves or find another place that might be a little more reasonable. Volunteer Recruitment & Retention Report: Nickel Volunteer Recruitment & Retention is going really good and as of this morning, she has signed up 56 people for the Grant. The last month, Paddy from OSU-FST, Davidson and herself all went to Duncan. They have been working on getting an on-line Hybrid Firefighter I, so we do it on-line and meet at another location for skills. They have one set up in Duncan. As of this morning, have 18 people enrolled and her phone has been ringing off the hook. She has approved 16 in Woodward for the Grant and that class will start on Aug. 29. The one in Duncan starts Aug. 16
July 19, 2018 MEETING
Upcoming Dates to Remember: Sept. 6, 2018 -- 22nd Annual David Bain Oklahoma Fallen & Living Firefighters Memorial Golf Tournament -- Lincoln Park West Oct. 7, 2018 -- 19th Statewide Memorial Service -Oklahoma Firefighters Museum, Oklahoma City Oct. 10, 2018 -- ORFA Golf Tournament -- FireLake Golf Course, Shawnee and will run until the first week of November. They will view their book work on-line and will meet every few weekends for the skills. She stated that she could not have done this without Paddy and she knows that this is a lot of work for him. Nickel said that we have to be very thankful for his work in making this happen. The on-line mapping is still in progress. She has been working with Caroline on that and needs to sit down and dedicate a whole solid week to go in and combine all the databases. Nickel will be going to Weatherford this afternoon after the Board meeting to attend the Fire School out there. We are sponsoring the Leadership Classes out there. Next week, she will be at Medic Update with Caroline and that will help us with our EMS Committee. There is an OEM Conference coming up in August and can combine with OSU to split cost. The next week after that, we received a letter in the mail from Stephens County Free Fair Association to go down there to do a booth. We signed up for the booth and it cost $50 and Nickel will be down there next week working at their Fair. Nickel would like to get a Regional Round Table set up in Stephens County. NVFC Report: Nickel National Volunteer Fire Council had their Wildland Assessment Class July 10-11 in Berryhill. They had several different departments there for the training. It is a free program that is now launched on the NVFC web-site. They contacted Nickel last week about finding people from Oklahoma to go do FEMA Grants. Apparently, in the last five years, she is the only volunteer from Oklahoma that has gone. Nickel put a notice out on Facebook and has a pretty good list built and working on that with Dave Finger from NVFC. The NVFC has their Fall Board meeting coming up in North Dakota in September, which she and Davidson will be attending. OFCA Report: Anthony Oklahoma Fire Chiefs Association has been working on the agenda for the Winter Workshop coming up and they have been working on the agenda for the Chiefs Conference next year. The Chief’s Board was disappointed that their Resolution did not pass at Convention. Their goal was to protect the Pension System. ORFA Report: Rodriguez Oklahoma Retired Firefighters Association had a meeting yesterday for their Medicare Committee and a Board meeting. He stated that the Retirees have a pretty ambitious agenda, they are going to work on combining the Brent Hatcher with the death benefit, try to find a way of servicing the surviving widows statewide and the main priority right now is Medicare. The Medicare Committee had a gentleman come in to discuss different options and plans. Manhattan Life: Candice Barber Barber presented and discussed the different benefit packages and rates for the Oklahoma State Firefighters Association to the OSFA Board. There was discussion by the Board. Executive Director: Lumry Lumry discussed that we have received 491 Membership Summaries back of the 561 departments to which we sent
out. We are over 11,100 members that have signed up. Brent Hatcher’s membership is at 342, which provides a $1,710 benefit. Our electronic newspaper subscriptions are up to 432. We are still working on the 501(C)3. American Income Life still comes by and it is about time to do their renewal in the next month or so. They will want us to send out another letter. The first Dodgers game sold about 100 tickets and there will be another game Aug. 25. Lumry stated that he went to the first game, it was pretty good and a nice night. The Award Sponsorship to the FFA that was approved for up to a $1,000 is waiting to see if their long time sponsor is still going to sponsor the Award and if not then we will. Lumry said that with Brown’s help, they came up with a lawn care service that will do lawn mowing, edging and trimming approximately 28 times per year. They will do a spring and fall cleanup which includes; spraying of weeds in sidewalks and cracks, debris and leaf removal and flower bed maintenance, which includes shrubs, hedges and flower beds around the office. They will do that eight times a year. From Aug. 1 through July 1, they do a year contract. The lawn is a huge job around here. There was discussion by the Board. The “Heroes Fore Charities” started up last year, is a big golf tournament and you get police, fire and military for one day at the Oak Tree Golf Course. The FMAO Conference is coming up Aug. 21 and they sent us a form asking for different kinds of sponsorships. Lumry stated that NFPA has a new gentleman working for them and he handles this part of the country, he is out of Colorado and he came to our convention in Tulsa. He would like to do more of that, he met with some of our people from the Pub Ed Committee last week and they have a deal where they offer a Training Summit. The first year they pay for everything; the food, venue, speakers to come in, any per diem for the speakers. In later years, if you continue to do it, they will pay a piece of it. They have a whole list of speakers that you can choose from. His first thought was it might be something good at Fire School to go along the Fire Marshal track. The Pub Ed members that were here thought it would be good to partner on it with FMAO and do it as part of their conference because it points to the same individuals that are there anyway. Lumry contacted Rick Bruder to see if they would be interested in that, he told me they would discuss it at their Board meeting and get back to me. He has not heard back from him yet. Lay feels that it falls right in line with what we are trying to develop for Fire School as a track for Fire Marshal/Pub Ed related course work. We are looking at having it as a part of Fire School. There was discussion by the Board. We were presented with an opportunity to purchase a six passenger golf cart. It has been completely redone, has the ability to put a kit to make 8 passengers and they are asking $9,000. It is gas powered, so we would not have to worry about the battery running down. It has the lift kit with the bigger tires, which will make it easier to clear the curbs. We’ll do more research and present it to the Board at a later date. There was discussion regarding the Brent Hatcher account and some money that was being held waiting to see if they are going to do another matching but after speaking with them there will not be any matching in the foreseeable future. We went ahead and moved the funds into the BHBF. Old Business: 1) Discuss the registration fees for Past President and their wives for the OSFA Convention. The Board discussed the issue in Executive Session. New Business: 1) Selection of Committees. The Board will make their selections for the New Committees after reviewing all the information provided to them on the attendance and request to join at the next Board meeting. Adjournment: 11:58 a.m. Next meeting: August 16, 2018
Oklahoma Firefighterď źSeptember 2018ď ź31
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32September 2018Oklahoma Firefighter
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ISO Report
n Fundraisers
n Training
Yogi Cole
Benefit WOD for Elk City Fire Chief Billy Word Sept. 8 at Crossfit Velox. Cost is $50 per team. All proceeds go towards travel and medical expenses as Billy fights Stage 4 Colon Cancer. Pre-register at www.crossfitvelox.com.
Advances in EMS Medicine Symposium 2018 Oct. 9-10 at Hilton Garden Inn & Edmond Conference Center. Option to attend one or both days. Free of charge with lunch provided. Oct. 9 presentation on Pediatric Resuscitation & Case Presentations. Oct. 10 topic on Airway Management Innovations. Register online at www.123formbuilder.com/form4014743/OKEMS2018.
ISO Field Coordinator
(405) 213-9967 • yogi.cole@oid.ok.gov
In 2011 the Oklahoma Insurance Department started a program that helps Fire Departments prepare for an ISO review. At that time, 54% of the Oklahoma Fire Departments were a class 9 and those communities became the main focus of this program. Currently, approximately 31% of the Oklahoma Fire Departments are a class 9, and this program has had a major impact on those improved numbers. Our state is now not far behind the national average of approximately 27%. This program also offers assistance in many water supply area’s such as a hauled program, fire hydrant flow testing and more. The Insurance Department has also assisted Fire Departments when they believe that their final score does not accurately reflect that communities abilities. In a few cases that has resulted in a regrading of that community. Preparing for a class 1-8 grading can take some time if you want to capture all the points that your community has earned. We are a resource that can help you be successful. We are not in competition with any other group or agency and wish to support any community/Fire Department in their efforts to improve their ISO rating. We are in contact with ISO staff on a frequent basis in order to stay current on the policies that they are operating under. This insures that we are providing accurate information. If you have any questions or need someone to come out to your department and assist you, please call.
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Page to ponder Tony Lopez
Midwest City FD
Safety & Health Committee
As I sit here pondering what to write about, my thoughts turn to the recent fatalities. As firefighters, we take risk that could take our lives. Then there are deaths that we can do nothing about. We have had a loss due to a collapse, a loss due to a heart issue. We lose firefighters to vehicle accidents. Then there is the ever-growing cancer rate that is taking our own. I know we are beating this cancer thing to death, but I think we can do a better job to lower our risk. We can decon better on the scene. We can clean our turnout gear when it’s soiled. Also, the blackened helmet is no longer a badge of honor. If your department does not have a cancer reduction policy, you should create one. I do not think all traffic accidents are preventable, but I think we should look at our driving habits and educate ourselves in being safer on the road. I am guilty of all these things, but I have started to try to break my bad habits and change. I know it is hard to change, but I think we owe to ourselves and our loved ones to try. If we can prevent at least one death by educating ourselves and our fellow firefighters I think we succeed. Be Safe and God Bless.
ATTENTION ATTENTION Fire ChiefsOR and FIRE CHIEFS DepartmentHEADS Heads DEPARTMENT The OklahomaNEED Association of FOR YOUR TRAINING Need MECHANICS? training for your mechanics? Emergency Vehicle Technicians ARE THE MECHANICS WHO WORK ON YOUR EQUIPMENT CERTIFIED? Are the mechanics working on helps mechanicsTHINK and departments YOU CAN NOT AFFORD yourTRAINING? equipment certified? find training, servicing and parts Think you cannot afford training? for emergency equipment.
O.A.E.V.T. CAN HELP!
WE PROVIDE FREE TRAINING AND O.A.E.V.T. CAN HELP! IT CAN BE TAILORED TO YOUR DEPARTMENT
CONTACT oklahomaevt@gmail.com O.A.E.V.T. can provide FREE TRANING WWW.OKEVT.ORG OR rob1450@cox.net rob1450@cox.net
that can be tailored to your department
Oklahoma City FD Project Life 5K & 1-mile Fun Run Sept. 15 at Regatta Park in OKC. Pre-registered: signmeup.com/126874). Benefits Project Life program to purchase smoke detectors. 1st Annual Jason Farley Memorial Golf Tournament Sept. 27 at Bailey’s Golf Course in Owasso. Cost: $300 per team. Registration: 7 a.m. Tee Off: 8:30 a.m. Lunch Provided by JFarley’s Irish Pub. For more info: 918-845-5450, jfarleygolf@gmail.com.
2018 Emergency Response Symposium Sept. 27 at Payne County Fairgrounds, Stillwater. Topics will focus on UAV Usage in the Emergency Services Environment. For more info, contact OSU-FST at 800-304-5727.
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OKLAHOMA FIRE SPOTLIGHT
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BETHANY FIRE DEPARTMENT Fire Chief: Shaum Jennings BFD Organized: 1926 Joined OSFA: 1929 One Station - 23 Fire Personnel Calls Per Year: Approx. 3,100 Coverage Area: 5 square miles Population: Approx. 20,000
L-1 2016 Ferrara 1750 pump 500 tank 77’ ladder
Oklahoma FirefighterSeptember 201833
BY GREG ROBERTS Norman FD Retired
Historic Footnotes: • Bethany was founded July 28, 1909, by members of
the Nazarene church, and the town was named after the biblical place of Bethany. Soon after, the Oklahoma Holiness College was built and the name was later changed to Southern Nazarene University. • On Nov. 19, 1930, an F-4 tornado nearly wiped out the town killing 23 people and destroying 652 buildings. It is one of only three documented violent November tornadoes in Oklahoma since 1900. • The owner of a landmark Bethany music store was charged with arson after the 1992 fire that destroyed Driver Music. This store was well known throughout central Oklahoma.
Bethany Fire Department circa 1950s
If you would like to see your FD featured in a future issue, please contact Greg Roberts at 405-424-1452 or groberts1960@gmail.com
BP-1 2001 Ford 18 HP 100 pump 300 tank
Bethany Fire Department Fleet
E-1 2015 Ferrara 2000 pump 1000 tank
Gus Shannon photo, 2001
E-2 2004 Freightliner ALF 1250 pump 1000 tank
34September 2018Oklahoma Firefighter
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in memoriam Madison “Maddy” Lee Clinton Jr., Friendship FD The Final Fire Alarm sounded for Friendship Volunteer Firefighter Maddy Clinton on Aug. 10. He was 54.
Clinton worked for AEP/PSO for 24 years. And through his work as a lineman, he went to several different states to assist in power restoration after Sandy, Katrina, and several hurricanes in Florida, as well as various ice, snow, and severe storms.
Maddy lost is life while battling a house fire outside Altus. The home collapsed, leaving him pinned under burning wreckage. He was a 33-year veteran of the
Friendship Volunteer FD and was serving as assistant chief when he died. Firefighters from across the state lined the street outside Altus First Baptist Church to show their support and led the procession to the gravesite where Clinton was laid to rest. Those in attendance said they were honored to be there. Gov. Mary Fallin ordered flags to be flown at half-staff to honor Clinton.
Tommy Griffin, Coalgate FD The Final Fire Alarm sounded for Coalgate Fire Captain Tommy Griffin on Aug. 22. He was 57.
Griffin served for 26 years and retired from the Farmers Branch, TX Fire Department. After retirement, he served the Coalgate Fire Department for the past 14 years. He was also a ranch manager. Griffin was a member of the International Firefighters Association, Oklahoma State Firefighters Association, NASAR, Coal County Task Force and the Oklahoma Disaster Task Force.
Bernard Soliday, Fort Supply FD The Final Fire Alarm sounded for Fort Supply firefighter Bernard Soliday on Aug. 18. He was 74. Soliday was a volunteer firefighter for 26 years and was proud of all the men he fought fires with. He was also a member of the Woodward Elks Lodge. He loved spending time with his family and friends, going to the cofee shop and seeing his buddies.
Leonard Stevens, Oktaha FD The Final Fire Alarm sounded for Oktaha Fire Chief Leonard Stevens on Aug. 11. He was 69.
He served as Chief of the Oktaha Volunteer FD for over 30 years and worked with the department for a total of 34 years. He enjoyed woodworking and metal detecting. He also served in the Air Force as a jet mechanic during the Vietnam War. Stevens passed away after a battle with cancer. Donna, his wife of 49 years, passed away 10 days earlier. He went to the hospital the day after her funeral.
Steven Dale Abel, Bixby FD The Final Fire Alarm sounded for Former Bixby Fire Chief Steve Abel on July 28. He was 60.
Abel served as a football coach at Bixby High School from 2000-07, impacting the lives of many young men. He began his career as a firefighter in Bixby in 1981, serving in many capacities -- , from volunteer to the position of Fire Chief at the Bixby Fire Department, retiring in 2014 after 34 years of service. He loved the Bixby firefighters and the community they served, providing many “firsts” with grants and new services. He truly believed that the firefighters and community of Bixby deserved the safest, state-of-the-art equipment, trucks, and facilities, including designing and over-seeing construction of new fire station #2.
Kennith “Ed” Watts, McCurtain FD The Final Fire Alarm sounded for McCurtain firefighter Kennith “Ed” Watts on July 23. He was 51.
Watts grew up in McCurtain and graduated from McCurtain High School. His passion was working at the McCurtain Fire Department for the last 25 years.
He loved basketball, baseball, hunting, fishing, working in the Oil Field.
Henry “Hank” Gillham, Burns Flat FD The Final Fire Alarm sounded for Burns Flat firefighter Hank Gillham on July 20. He was 65.
Gillham served his community by volunteering at the First Baptist Church of Burns Flat and helping to start the Burns Flat Volunteer Fire Department. He sought out a variety of training to better serve his community, including Fire Rescue Training, Medic for Ambulance Services, Advanced Life Support, Hazmat Training, Jaws of Life Training and a variety of other training courses. He subsequently taught these courses to many in his community as well as the surrounding communities. He was proud to be an instructor for OSU Fire Service. In 1995, Hank and fellow volunteer firefighters helped provide rescue and recovery efforts in the Murrah Building bombing in Oklahoma City.
Letter from a Stillwater Firefighter’s Widow Editor’s Note: Alana Payne, wife of Stillwater firefighter Harold “Puddin” Payne, posted the following letter on Facebook. She gave permission to publish it in Oklahoma Firefighter. Her husband died of cancer on Oct. 8, 2017. He was 56. Dearest Firefighters, I feel compelled to write this letter to you, in the hopes that if any one of you is not taking care of business or putting it off, this letter will serve to remind you and possibly save you. Right now, most of you feel strong, able and healthy. Some of you young guys would say invincible. My husband, Puddin Payne, was one of you. He served 24 years as a Fireman. Whenever you hear of another Firefighter with cancer, you probably think “That is him, that is not me.” We thought the same way until it was us. The truth is, at work you are like Police Officers rolling up on a scene where shots are being fired everywhere. Every time you go to a fire, you are breathing carcinogens. Carcinogens are as deadly as bullets. You just don’t know you are being shot at the time. As a Firefighter, you will breathe 18 times more carcinogens after just one grass fire than I will in my lifetime. I am not trying to scare you or be morbid. I just want to emphasize to each and every one of you how truly important it is for you to do EARLIER screenings and continued screenings. Do not try to gauge your health on your own. My husband had zero clear symptoms until stage four, which is too late. Most cancers can be cured when detected in the earlier stages. I am not a scientist. I am not a doctor, but you should listen to me here because who I am is the Widow of a Firefighter. With all my heart and his, I am telling you, your best protection against the statistic (Firefighters have a 70% greater chance of getting cancer) is EARLIER screening and continuous screening. Think of it as your bullet proof vest. Remember everyone who loves you and needs you wants you to be an F.O.G. one day. -- Alana Payne
OSFA Snapshots
Oklahoma FirefighterSeptember 201835
Got something going on at your Fire Department? Share the news! Email photos to osfa@osfa.info At Chicken Creek Volunteer FD Aug. 13 to discuss entrance into firefighter’s pension system
At Oklahoma Emergency Management Association Conference Aug. 14
Cimarron County Fundraiser Board
15 Volunteer FDs were represented at McIntosh County Fire Chief’s meeting Aug. 7 to learn about benefits and training
Firefighters at OSFA SAFER grant class Aug. 16. They will receive benefits such as a firefighter’s pension physical and a custom-fit set of bunker gear
Steve Lumry and Sheri Nickel delivered custom fit Fire-Dex bunker gear to Hogeye Volunteer firefighter Kale Haney Aug. 13
36September 2018Oklahoma Firefighter