McKinney Fire Chief Mark Wallace stresses fire education

by Minnie Payne

MCKINNEY — Mark Wallace, 57-year-old McKinney Fire Chief and 39-year veteran of fire service, believes in educating citizens on fire prevention.

“If people aren’t careful in their fire prevention, we’re going to have a fire,” Wallace said. “Cooking fires are the most common and occasionally there’s an electrical malfunction fire.

Wallace explains that the City of McKinney Fire Department has a Fire and Life Safety Division, whose job is to educate the public and promote fire safety.

“We have fire and life safety programs, wherein we have different classes on fire prevention and life safety,” he said.

“Aside from educating young adults, adults and senior citizens about fire prevention, we sponsor the ‘Risk Watch Program’, a short program for grades K through eight, which has resulted in a 35 – 50 percent reduction in injuries to children.”

Wallace states that the fire department provides training and material to the teachers, and they teach the classes.

“We also have a clown program wherein firefighters are trained through clown school so that they can go to schools annually and through songs and skits promote fire safety,” Wallace said. “We have probably contacted 30,000 students and adults through the clown program.”

For the seniors, the fire department has a program called “Remembering When” which is unique to their age group, wherein firefighters go to senior citizen centers and senior apartment buildings to stress fire safety, he said.

Another important aspect of the fire department, Wallace explains, involves the Emergency Medical Services Program.

"About 66 percent of all emergency incidents in McKinney involve response to illness or injuries," said Wallace. "All but a few of our firefighters are certified paramedics, and we provide advanced life support services, including ambulance service."

Wallace grew up in Englewood, Colo., attending the public schools there, graduating from Englewood High School in 1968. After graduation, he attended Colorado State University for three years, studying cellular biology, but never earned a degree. He earned an Associate of Arts degree from Aims College, Greeley, Colo. in 1974, a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration/Economics from Regis University in Denver in 1988, graduated from the National Fire Academy in Emmitsburg, Md. in 1993 and earned a master’s degree in Public Administration from the University of Colorado in two semesters in 1996.

According to Wallace, he was a folk singer at a bar, while going to school, and a group of firefighters who frequented the bar convinced him to take the firefighters test. On May 10, 1969, he started his career as a firefighter and served in many capacities up until 1987, when he became fire chief for the City of Sheridan, Colo. In 1993, he became city manager for Sheridan and served in that capacity for two years.

“I also worked after graduating from high school for the Bureau of Land management and did some wild land firefighting,” he said. “I was hired as a biologist and ended up fighting fires.”

There are 166 people who work for the McKinney Fire Department, with 151 being actual firefighters.

“We basically have a philosophy of operation in that we try to do the right thing, do our best, and treat people the way we want to be treated,” Wallace said. “I tell them [firefighters] that if they can do those three things, nobody can ask any more of them.”

Wallace received the international designation of chief fire officer twice, with there being less than 500 in the world. He is also author of “Fire Department Strategic Planning: Creating Future Excellence”, in its second edition. He teaches conferences and seminars throughout the world, focusing on strategic planning and creating excellence.

Wallace has been married to his wife, Jackie, 10 years and they have five children and six grandchildren.

“I have had the true pleasure of working with Chief Wallace since he came to McKinney, and I appreciate his intellect and perspectives, but most of all I value his commitment of service to the community and firefighters,” said Assistant Fire Chief Frank Roma.