Every fire call.

Every ambulance call. Every effort to secure the best personnel, equipment and training.

Every idea to improve or build a better fire department.

It’s about taking care of family.

That’s the mindset behind every move retiring Chief Tony Stewart has made in his 40-year career at the Kingfisher Fire Department.

It has always been about providing the care Kingfi sher County citizens deserve.

“When you go out on a call and somebody’s hurt, dying, injured or their house is on fire, it’s a challenge to make them feel better on what may be the worst day of their life, but it’s also rewarding to be able to be a part of that in a way that hopefully you’ve helped them in some way that day,” Stewart said.

But he’s quick to deflect any praise that comes his way and point out it’s a group effort.

As a first responder, Stewart said he’s worked with outstanding people who have a heart for helping and he’s glad to be a part of that.

“I’m only as successful as my team is,” Stewart said. “They make me look good and I hope I helped make the past chief look good, but they’ve really done a good job for me.”

Additionally, Stewart said he’s worked with outstanding city managers, commissioners, mayors and other leaders in the community.

It’s the greatest job in the world, working with a great group of people and having the opportunity to help people, Stewart added.

“I love this community and it’s going to be hard to leave, because they’re my family,” he said.

Above all, Stewart expressed his love and thankfulness to God for all the blessings in his life, particularly his wife and soulmate, Kim (Causey) and her unwavering support.

With many days and nights spent at the fire station and on calls, Stewart said his wife took on much of the responsibility of raising their son, Shaun Weber, and taking care of things at home, while also managing her own 41-year career at Pioneer.

“She’s always had my back and has been there 100 percent all the way,” he said.

As first responders, Stewart said it’s tough on families because of the time required away from home and it takes a strong spouse to be able to handle that.

••• At the age of 24, Stewart said he was working as an assistant manager at United Supermarket when he developed an interest in becoming a firefighter.

When Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic Church’s steeple caught fire years ago, Stewart said he was hanging out with his buddy, John Crawford, when he responded to a call as a firefighter for the Kingfisher Fire Department.

As Stewart watched the firefighters extinguish the blaze, a seed was planted.

Quickly landing a spot on the fire department, Stewart said he began his career as the rookie making every ambulance call for nine years until another firefighter was hired, which moved him up a notch, then being able to rotate on calls.

With 30 years of service, and before becoming chief in 2014, Stewart said he served as union president at the department for 21 years and saw his share of challenges during that time.

Having battled city hall on several issues during that time, Stewart said that when the chief position opened up, he almost didn’t apply because he didn’t think he would be hired.

With encouragement from former City Manager Dave Slezickey, Stewart applied at the last moment, which led to the next 10 years of dedicated service as fire chief.

Although it took a little while to fully understand all the ins and outs of the position, Stewart jumped in wholeheartedly, becoming a successful leader for the department.

An important aspect of the job, Stewart said, was learning how to apply for grants.

“With my budget, I can’t get a lot of big ticket items, so if I’m going to get them for the department, I have to find grants and apply for them,” Stewart said.

Some of the grants awarded during his time as chief were for two new ambulances, a Chevrolet Tahoe, new bay lighting, an air conditioning unit and other pieces of equipment.

A few years ago, the department was also awarded a Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) Grant, which enabled the department to increase each shift from a five-man to six-man crew, Stewart said.

Before that, the department was able to increase the crew size from four to five with 522 ambulance district funds, which Stewart said have provided valuable revenue to the department.

With almost two-thirds of the department’s 18 fulltime firefighters currently commuting from out of town, Stewart said one of his goals is to stress the importance of treating every patient and person they come into contact with as family, because “they’re our family.”

In addition to providing the best medical treatment possible, Stewart said, “We want to be there from the minute we pick them up to the minute we drop them off, letting them know we care…it’s what it’s all about.”

Stressing that his crew has done a really good job of providing that care, Stewart said that he also would like to see more local individuals wanting to be a part of the fire department.

One of the ways Stewart hopes to accomplish that goal is through the partnership established with Kingfisher High School to provide a Firefighter I course for students during their senior year.

In its second year, the program provides the opportunity for students to learn about becoming a firefighter, earn their Firefighter 1 certification and get a jumpstart on a possible career in the field, while also training potential future firefighters for the local fire department.

Always open to new ideas and ways to improve the department, Stewart said he meets monthly with his officers to discuss various topics, getting different perspectives, which allows for growth in different directions.

“Whether it’s my idea or another guy’s idea, we come together as a group to make this department a great department,” Stewart added.

During his years as chief, the fire department’s Insurance Services Office (ISO) fire score has improved to a level 3 (with 1 being the best possible rating). The score calculates how wellequipped a fire department is to extinguish fires in the community and can also reduce homeowner and businesses insurance rates.

Looking ahead, Stewart said that once the new fire station, with its proposed burn tower which will provide enhanced training opportunities, is constructed the ISO rating will most likely improve to a 2.

Overall, Stewart said he has loved his 40 years at Kingfisher Fire Department and the only bit of disappointment he has is leaving without a new fire station having been built.

As the project is still in the works, Stewart said he’s pushed for a new station for a long time, not for his own benefit, but because the community deserves a nice building which will meet the needs of the department and that will last through the years, serving the citizens of Kingfisher.

At the end of March when Stewart hands over the reins to the incoming KFD Chief Ryan Gibson, who was the department’s first American Legion Firefighter of the Year and a captain in the department, he said the people of Kingfisher County are in good hands.

“Ryan has been shadowing me for months and he’s doing a great job stepping right into place and there should be virtually no gap during the transition, which is really good for the department and the city,” Stewart said.

With 20 years of service with the KFD, Gibson has worked under Stewart’s guidance from the beginning.

“He’s been a great leader and mentor,” Gibson said. “We are thankful for his many years of service.”

Although people didn’t always agree with everything he was doing, Gibson said Stewart was always looking out for the good of the citizens and the firefi ghters.

In honor of his many years of dedicated service, Stewart was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award at the annual Kingfisher Chamber of Commerce Banquet earlier this year.

Reflecting on 40 years of service to the community, City Manager Jim Thomas presented the award to Stewart, stating: “During the past four decades, he has faced countless challenges with an unwavering commitment to the safety and well-being of the citizens, business community and firefighters.

“As fire chief, he has not only fought fires, but built bridges within our community, forging strong connections that have made Kingfisher a safer and more united place.”

As Stewart prepares to hang up his badge and uniform, he expressed his thanks to “my guys at the fire department, my coworkers with the City of Kingfisher and the community as a whole.

“I want to thank them for allowing me to be a part of this community and I will always treasure the time that I had here.

“My goal was to make this a better place after I leave than the way I found it and I hope that I did… history will let us know.”