Although Firefighter Chad Toomey is a longtime member of Forest Grove Fire & Rescue, he is a somewhat newer member in the Fire and Life Safety Division in his role as Deputy Fire Marshal. As Deputy Fire Marshal, Chad’s role has shifted from a firefighter responding to emergency calls for service to a staff position in the Fire Marshal’s office where Chad’s role as fire inspector and fire investigator is an everyday challenge. However, no challenge is too great for Chad who has taken his new responsibilities head-on. For the past year, Chad has attended numerous classes that assist him in learning thousands of fire codes and how to apply them professionally and fairly to the business community. The classes include several tests that Chad has successfully passed to demonstrate his proficiency in fire code application. The work that Chad does in fire code enforcement is foremost in helping to prevent catastrophic fires from occurring.
In addition to his role as fire inspector, Chad is also responsible for public education. There is none better than Chad to connect with people both young and old. Chad has a way of remembering community members he has interacted with and they remember him as well. In October, Chad was instrumental in producing the Department’s annual Open House, which draws hundreds of children, parents, and community members to the Forest Grove Fire Station who learn about fire safety, burn prevention, and disaster preparedness. Chad always makes himself available for community events like the Annual Corn Roast and Oktoberfest, favorites in Forest Grove. Chad’s tireless work is what gives added value to Forest Grove Fire and Rescue’s service to the community.
Because of Chad’s great ability to produce positive results, he is often assigned additional responsibilities at our fire department. Chad successfully managed a large fire station kitchen remodel and is currently overseeing a painting refurbishment of the entire station. There is little that Chad does not excel at in his daily duties at Forest Grove Fire and Rescue, and his hard work in both public education and code enforcement saves lives and property with respect to proactive fire prevention efforts