Tom Marcum: OSFA 3rd Vice President’s Report

Greetings OSFA membership! What a great time we had in Tahlequah in June for convention.

Kudos to Jim Ed Nimmo, as well as Tahlequah FD and Tulsa FD, for all of their hard work and time spent in planning and preparation for us to enjoy our week and get some work completed.

I am both honored and humbled to be elected to serve this delegation on the Executive Board. Having attended 10 conventions now, I can honestly say that I’ve enjoyed every last one of them. I have gained friends from across the state through this association and I’m looking forward to building on those relationships as I serve you, the membership.

Running a campaign is never easy, nor does anyone expect it to be. It takes a lot of planning and preparation, as well as a lot of time and effort to assure that you visit with anyone and everyone who wants to spend some time getting to know you and asking you about your stance and position on topics that interest them and pertain to them.

I appreciate all of those who supported me, spent time visiting with me, helping me

OSFA’s new 3rd VP was born and raised in Indiana. He did spend two years in Mooreland as a youth and fell in love with the state. So almost 25 years ago, he moved to Oklahoma with his family.

He has been at Mooreland FD since 2010, serving as Training Lieutenant, Assistant Fire Chief, Fire Chief and now Captain/PIO.

Marcum also served as a Child Welfare Supervisor for Oklahoma Department of Human Services Foster Care & Adoption Services for 20 years.He’s been an IFSTA Training Specialist for the past 3 years.

In a question-and-answer session with Oklahoma Firefighter, Marcum, 53, shared the following: in any way to run a successful campaign for this board.

When did you know you wanted to be a firefighter? In kindergarten, we did a tour of our local fire department and it made an impact on me. Once my family and I settled in Mooreland, I knew I wanted to be on the fire department and serve my community however I could. I’m a late comer to the fire world, but the past 13 years have changed my life literally. It’s a passion of mine to make a difference and serve.

How’d you go about getting into the fire service? I knew most of the people on the Mooreland FD and started attending the monthly meetings. I did this for nearly a year before they decided that I could become a member. After that, I realized I needed to make firefighter training a priority to stay safe and make good decisions while on a fire. Once I started training, I was assigned the role of training others in the department, which led to other teaching and training opportunities.

What have been some highlights of your fire service career so far?

Completing the Oklahoma Executive Fire Officer program in 2017 and being the class-elected speaker for graduation. Being able to see the National Fire Academy in person. Visiting in Washington DC with our state’s congressmen and senators with the Fire Marshal’s group. Serving my community as the Fire Chief for 6 years, working through some large scale wildland incidents and sitting alongside the command staff of 2 Type 1 Incident Management Teams for weeks to control the incidents.

It is my sincere hope that I’ll be able to serve well and represent ALL the firefighters of our state. While I know the issues facing the volunteers, and what they are needing and asking for, I also understand that as a board member, it’s my responsibility to represent everyone, including the combination departments and career departments of all sizes. While that seems like a huge task, I firmly believe that working together for the best interests of all is not only feasible, but plausible, as well.

As I’m learning the ropes of the board and the pension system in greater detail, please know that I’m open to discussions and input from each of you, and look forward to determining how best to represent you, the firefighter. I’m a pretty open book, and while we may or may not agree on any given topic, know that I’ll always ere on the side of what’s best for as many as possible in any given circumstance.

Again, thank you for your support and I look forward to serving on the OSFA Executive Board. If I can be of assistance, please reach out to me.