{"data":{"id":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-19-19-901.7a","jurisdiction":"us-ok","citation":"Okla. Stat. tit. 19, § 19-901.7a","heading":"Fire chief for certain districts – Qualifications -","body":"Duties.\n\nAll Fire Protection Districts having more than two full-time\n\npaid firefighters shall have one full-time fire chief who shall\n\nsupervise and administer the fire protection district in accordance\n\nwith the policies and procedures prescribed by the board of\n\ndirectors. The fire protection district shall be under the\n\ndirection and control of the fire chief. The fire chief, whether\n\npermanent or interim, of any paid or combination fire protection\n\ndistrict shall have had at least three (3) years actual experience\n\nas a paid firefighter before assuming the position of fire chief.\n\nDuring the initial transition from a volunteer fire protection\n\ndistrict to one having more than two full-time firefighters, the\n\npaid fire chief shall have had at least three (3) years of\n\nexperience as a paid firefighter or at least five (5) years of\n\nexperience as a volunteer fire chief officer with that department\n\nbefore assuming the position of paid fire chief. The board may add\n\nadditional requirements to the position as necessary.\n\n1. The fire chief:\n\na. shall be at the head of the department, subject to the\n\nlaws of the State of Oklahoma, rules of the board of\n\ndirectors and the rules and regulations herein\n\nadopted,\n\nb. shall be held responsible for the general condition\n\nand efficient operation of the department, the\n\ntraining of members and the performance of all other\n\nduties imposed upon him or her by law or the board of\n\ndirectors,\n\nc. may inspect or cause to be inspected by members of the\n\ndepartment, the fire hydrants, cisterns and other\n\nsources of water supply at least twice a year,\n\nd. shall maintain a library or file of publications on\n\nfire prevention and fire protection and shall make use\n\nof the library or file to the best advantage of all\n\nmembers,\n\ne. shall make every effort to attend all fires and direct\n\nthe officers and members of the fire department in the\n\nperformance of their duties,\n\nf. shall see that the citizens are kept informed on fire\n\nhazards within the boundaries of the department and on\n\nthe activities of the department,\n\ng. shall see that each fire is carefully investigated to\n\ndetermine its cause, and in the case of suspicion of\n\nincendiarism shall notify proper authorities. The\n\nfire chief shall secure and preserve all possible\n\nevidence for future use in the case of a suspicious\n\nincendiarism, and\n\nh. shall file the appropriate activity reports utilizing\n\nthe National Emergency Response Information System\n\n(NERIS) with the Office of the State Fire Marshal in\n\nOklahoma City. The activity report forms shall\n\ninclude, but not be limited to, the amount of property\n\nand vehicle fire loss, types of fires, inspections and\n\ninvestigations. The report shall include notification\n\nof all fire-related civilian deaths and injuries in\n\nthe respective jurisdiction and of firefighter deaths\n\nin the line of duty and of firefighter injuries in the\n\nline of duty requiring the services of a hospital or\n\nphysician or both, and these fire-related burn\n\ninjuries and death reports shall be completed within\n\nforty-eight (48) hours of the incident.\n\n2. Assistant fire chief. In the absence of the fire chief, the\n\nassistant fire chief on duty shall command the department and be\n\nheld responsible therefore in all respects with the full powers and\n\nresponsibilities of the fire chief.\n\n3. Company officers. The company officers shall be selected\n\nupon their ability to meet the following requirements:\n\na. knowledge of firefighting,\n\nb. leadership ability, and\n\nc. knowledge of firefighting equipment.","path":["OK Code","Title 19"],"source_url":"https://www.oklegislature.gov/OK_Statutes/CompleteTitles/os19.pdf","current_through":"2026-08-14","vintage":"open-us-law v2026.08, retrieved 2026-09-14","retrieved_at":"2026-09-14T18:32:36Z","sha256":"57bf215fa2afe9a8556f384d8a913f79eb009107dec941451a925f83095fcdc1","source_id":"us-ok","stale":false,"prev":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-19-19-901.7","next":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-19-19-901.8"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}