05/13/2026
Yesterday, we had the opportunity to represent the department at the Office of the State Fire Marshal's annual awards ceremony.
Our presence was in honor of former Assistant Chief Chris Wesley, who posthumously was awarded the Fire Prevention and Life Safety award for his development and support of the 8th grade fire safety program at NMS and NHCS.
His family was able to join us, and Joy even joined Assistant Chief Cox on stage to receive the award from Fire Marshal Pankow.
This program wouldn't be possible without the help and planning from Mrs. Thompson and Mrs. Fuller at NMS, and Mrs. Wassel at NHCS, as well as the support and involvement of the Marathon Petroleum ERT team, and the work of all of our career firefighters who spend the entire week at the schools teaching, going through blueprints, and hands-on fire extinguisher training.
We thank the State Fire Marshal's Office for their consideration and choosing Chief Wesley to receive this award. It is just one more testament to the lasting impact of his legacy in our community and the fire service as a whole.