FACILITY FIRE BRI FIRE AND EMERGENCY SERVICES INS FIRE PROTECTION, DETECTION, AN
FIRE SERVICE HYDRAULICS AND WATER SUPPLY HAZARDOUS MATERIALS TECHNICIAN PRINCIPLES OF PASSENGER VEHICLE EXTRICATION GROUND COVER FIRE FIGHTING FOR STRUCTURAL FIREFIGHTERS
Harold R. Mace No one has had more of an impact on the modern era of IFSTA and FPP than Harold Mace (Figure 37) . His influence could also be felt in the modernization of Oklahoma Fire Service Training, the renaissance of the School of Fire Protection and Safety, and the creation of the International Fire Service Accreditation Congress. On the national level, he was a pioneer in the development of the NFPA professional qualifications standards and a major figure in national fire service politics. Harold Raymond Mace, an Oklahoma City native, was born on May 23, 1939. He was raised on a farm in what is now the general area of the I-35/I-44 interchange in north Oklahoma City. He earned undergraduate and graduate degrees from Central State University (now the University of Central Oklahoma
Figure 37
[UCO]) in Edmond. After college, he worked in the insurance industry for a short time before becoming an elementary school teacher and later becoming an elementary school principal, in Oklahoma City. In 1969, he was hired as the Director of Fire Service Training at Oklahoma State University. Shortly thereafter, he also was named Director of OSU Fire Protection Publications/IFSTA. Harold’s impacts on the fire programs at OSU and the fire service on the national level were immediate and unprecedented. He was instrumental in the formation and operation of the Joint Council of National Fire Service Organizations and the National Professional Qualifications Board. He was actively involved in the Joint Council’s development of a national professional qualifications standards and certification system. In 1972, he was named Chair of the first Fire Fighter Professional Qualifications committee and this committee developed the first edition of what is now known as NFPA 1001, Standard on Fire Fighter Professional Qualifications , upon which the IFSTA Essentials of Fire Fighting manual would later be based on. IFSTA and Fire Protection Publications experienced enormous growth under Mace’s leadership. During his tenure, IFSTA formalized its organizational status with a Constitution and By-laws and initiated an Executive Board to oversee its operations. The IFSTA validation conference grew to the point that it had to be made an “invitation-only” function to maintain its manageability. Fire Protection Publications grew from a handful of employees with $100,000 year in sales to more than 40 employees and $5 million dollars in sales at the time of his retirement. In his last years, Mace set into motion actions that would result in FPP continuing to nearly double its staff and sales in the years following his retirement. Because of Mace’s leadership IFSTA/ FPP grew to and remains the world’s largest publisher of fire service training materials. Mace was also instrumental in the growth and improvement of Oklahoma Fire Service Training. Under his leadership FST’s staff and budget expanded considerably. He was responsible for the initial construction of FST’s first full-scale practical training facility west of Stillwater. FST also became an accredited training organization during Mace’s tenure. In January 1986, in addition to his duties as Director of FPP and FST, Mace was named Department Head of the School of Fire Protection and Safety Engineering Technology. Under his leadership, the school increased its enrollment from 60 to nearly 200 students, added faculty members, instituted an Advisory Board, and enjoyed a large growth in alumni support and donations. Just prior to his retirement in January 1992, Mace initiated the formation of the International Fire Service Accreditation Congress (IFSAC). Building on the framework he developed, IFSAC would become the largest fire service accreditation program in the world, accrediting both training certificate and college fire degree programs. In addition to the professional accomplishments listed above, perhaps Harold’s greatest achievement is as a mentor to several generations of fire service leaders. His influence on the many students and employees who passed through the OSU system during his tenure, as well as the many IFSTA participants and other
IFSTA/FPP: THE FIRST 90 YEARS 57
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