A Message From Emergency Manager Wesley "Chuck" Blair

Dear Residents of Forest Park,

I would like to take this opportunity to thank Mayor Smith and the Board of Trustees for your continued support of the Fire Department. I have always considered it a privilege to serve the public as a firefighter and have served Forest Park for over 33 years. When I started, we were proud to be firefighters and had just started to move into other emergency medical services, and HAZMAT. Since that time things have certainly changed. Below I have noted some of the changes challenges and accomplishments of the Forest Park Fire Department. 

First and foremost, we are a fire department and now at minimum we are required to have personnel trained to national fore service standards that include fire tactics and operations, emergency medical training and hazardous materials (operational level) training and this takes a lot of effort for me and my staff to keep current with required training. As a fire service supervisor, I am tasked with the ongoing training and safety of up to 15 volunteers. I have implemented standard operating guidelines that address safety and outline the scope of our responsibilities. I also facilitate and participate in hose testing, hydrant testing, apparatus testing, inspections, maintenance, and record keeping, State Fire Marshall Reporting, public education, applicable human services responsibilities, grant writing and other tasks involved in the operation of the fire department. By keeping up with these tasks we have earned a very respectable I.S.O. rating of "Class 3". I don't know of any other "volunteer" fire department that has achieved this level of recognition, this superior rating can attract businesses and saves thousands in insurance premiums for our residents. 

I maintain an emergency medical program. This has become very challenging and technical and is undergoing constant change. This year we were required to attend training in addition to our ongoing continuing education and adapt new protocols and procedures. I keep records of training, certifications, vehicles maintenance, insurance, manage a quality assurance program, inventory and update supplies, and communicate with our "medical control" at the hospital. As the program coordinator, I adopt and implement updates and attend ongoing technical training in order to keep our service the best available. In this age of lawsuits and liability, I maintain strict control of our action plans and policies and keep our data in a state of readiness for "on-site inspections". By doing this I make sure we are a safe, legally compliant and effective EMS service.

Some of the things I have accomplished in addition to the management of our fire and EMS programs include the development of an operating program with the City of Spencer. The arrangement with Spencer is to share resources and help provide personnel. As a result, Spencer does not have to maintain a much needed but costly volunteer program and Forest Park has immediate response from Spencer while waiting on our volunteers. This can translate inti literally saving lives! It also means as the results of our "joint use policy" and "automatic aid" both departments can get credit for each other's equipment for I.S.O. purposes. 

I have perused grants that continue to add up to and will have saved the town nearly $134,000.00 in the last few years and I have my eye on more grant opportunities in 2026. As the Emergency Manager I have worked hard to make sure Forest Park is in compliance with applicable local and Federal Laws and mandates. I have attended many meetings on the subject of Hazard Mitigation. As of this date I have made sure we are in compliance with FEMA rules for our community. We are in an approved standing with FEMA, and this means we are in position to receive Federal Grants in the event of a disaster etc. I also maintain our status with the Office of Homeland Security. Our firefighters are required to have specific training in order to be compliant, and I have very specific training in order to be supervisor especially on large scale (multi-jurisdictional) events such as major wildfires, flooding etc. I am compliant and I have served in command roles in such events. So, from outdoor warning sirens to training requirements I have made sure we meet the challenge. 

At the end of the day, we are a service organization and promote that attitude. I make sure our firefighters know that whether it is getting limbs out of the roadway, helping with snow removal or providing stand-by during severe weather, we are here to serve the public. As we continue to evolve and grow our primary attitude is one of community service for the residents of Forest Park, Spencer and Oklahoma County. With the annexation program, Spencer's joint us program and our aggressive recruitment program, I look forward to really exciting advances in emergency services for the town.

Once again, I would like to thank my staff, the board of trustees and the citizens you for supporting me in my role as the Fire Chief and Emergency Manager for the Town of Forest Park OK.   

Respectfully, 

Wesley "Chuck" Blair
Fire Administration / Emergency Management