Sheri Nickel: OSFA Administrative Director’s Report

Hello and welcome to summer. We have transitioned from a drought-ridden state that was literally burning up to flooding rains and the good ol’ summer heat in just the last six months. This is just another example of how diverse Oklahoma is.

The weather hasn’t been the only thing changing for us though. This year has flown by here at the OSFA.

Our calendar has been jam-packed since the first of the year and the staff has been trying to recover from the craziness. It is amazing that the work that just a few employees of an organization can get done.

The guys in the museum have worked several different softball parking events earning money to keep the memorial up and running.

Gene has the fountain flowing and it is just beautiful right now. He has also been working on the new shop building and adjusting the water flow around the building to keep it from flooding.

Lance has kept the museum gift shop in tip-top shape while hosting summer tours for people of all ages.

The biggest change of the year has been the implementation of digital membership. Love it or hate it, it is our new normal.

Both Madelyn and Raegan and sometimes myself fields calls every day from members who don’t understand it, but the calls aren’t coming in as frequently as everyone is learning how to use it.

We are certainly looking forward to the 2024 membership season to see if it will truly be everything we hoped for.

In addition to dealing with that change, the staff has rocked the event season. Not only has Raegan coordinated everything from the Chief’s Winter Workshop to the State Fire School this year, she also completed her Bachelor’s Degree and graduated from the University of Central Oklahoma with a degree in Strategic Communications.

Mike, Don and Julia survived another legislative session. A couple of bills were sent for actuarial studies, some bills died and a couple were even signed by the Governor that will benefit our firefighters.

And 2023 isn’t over yet!

We are gearing up for the Memorial Golf Tournament, the annual Statewide Memorial and we are looking forward to our inaugural firefighter’s gala.

These three events are coming up fast and we hope to have a good turnout for each one.

We are also in the final months of the 2018 SAFER grant that has funded hundreds of hours of training for volunteer firefighters across the state. There is still a lot of money left for those of you who want to get your Firefighter-2 certification.

We have made application for another $5.1 million dollars to continue funding training, and we are keeping our fingers crossed that we will receive that award.

I recommend that you follow our Facebook page or visit our website frequently to stay up-to- date with the OSFA. And as always, don’t hesitate to call the office with any questions.

Enjoy the rest of your summer and stay safe!

Executive Director Mike Kelley mkelley@osfa.info

Administrative Director Sheri Nickel sherin@osfa.info

Membership Coordinator Madelyn Roth madelynr@osfa.info

Events Coordinator Raegan Layne raeganl@osfa.info

Publications Penelope Soldan penelopes@osfa.info

Museum Director Gene Brown geneb@osfa.info

Museum Archivist Bob Noll bobn@osfa.info

Museum Assistant Lance Gill lanceg@osfa.info

Museum Volunteer Greg Roberts groberts1960@gmail.com

Museum Volunteer Andie Hernandez