ROGERS, Ark. — Rogers Fire Station 1 was full of laughter and tears as the community celebrated Chief Tom Jenkins' retirement.
From March 1, 2009, to December 22, 2023, Fire Chief Tom Jenkins spent 15 years leading the Rogers Fire Department.
Congressman Steve Womack, who formerly served as the mayor of Rogers, spoke at the ceremony. He revealed that initially, he hadn't picked Tom Jenkins for the fire chief position. He said that he originally offered the job to Greg Neely, who turned down the job and eventually became the fire chief in Siloam Springs before leaving that role in 2016.
"He said 'I'm going to tell you who you need to hire. But you have to promise me before I tell you that you're going to interview him,'" Womack recalled jokingly. "I said 'Okay, I promise I'll interview him. What's wrong with this guy?' He said 'He's 27.' And I said, 'I can't interview a 27-year-old to be the fire chief in arguably the best fire department in the entire state of Arkansas.' And he said 'That's your call, but you promised.'"
Womack continued to tell a story about how Jenkins asked to meet the "meanest, saltiest, longest-serving fireman you got." Upon request, Womack said he sent Jenkins to Bruce Jensen. After the two, Jenson called Womack and said: "You're crazy if you don't hire that guy."
Incident Command Aid of the C-Shift Cleve Clark claims to have been one of the first firefighters who spoke with Chief Jenkins when he joined the department.
"From the very beginning. You know, we understood just from meeting him that he was going to be a generational talent," Clark said.
Clark said under Chief Jenkins, the fire department received accreditation and boasts the best equipment and training. At the ceremony, many departments from around the state were represented in attendance. Speakers mentioned how many who worked under Chief Jenkins went on to later be fire chiefs themselves at other departments.
Under Chief Jenkins' guidance, Clark said he built the Rogers Fire Department into "one of the best fire departments in the country, without question."
"We say that he is a firefighter's fire chief," Clark said. "He puts his men and women, who are the members of this fire department, he puts them first. There are not many bosses that tell you that they love you, but he did on a regular basis and still does."
An image of Chief Jenkins coming down the line of firefighters and loved ones will go up on the Rogers Fire Department Legacy Wall. At the end of his walk into the engine bay, Chief Jenkins embraced his sons and his wife, Amanda Jenkins.
"I'll miss him being on call 24 hours to see the light in his life for serving this community. And it's done. Like I'll miss it for him," Amanda said.
Both Amanda and Clark joked about Chief Jenkins' retirement hobbies in light of his passion for the fire service.
"He's a self-proclaimed nerd, you know, when it comes to the fire service, he reads all of his old college books and stuff. I mean, I don't really know. I think he gardens," Clark said jokingly.
"House cleaning? Laundry, taking the trash out. Yeah, those would be great. He's gonna be home a little bit more, so he'll get his fair share of chores," Amanda said.
Jenkins was given an engraved firefighter's axe and a shadowbox during the ceremony. While he closes this chapter in his life, Chief Jenkins plans to continue aiding firefighters who wear the Maltese cross just as the fire continues in his life. He hasn't announced his role yet but 5NEWS is told by his wife that he'll be serving in a national role.
"It has been an honor to stand by his side as he served this community for 15 years. And through the good, the bad and the ugly." Amanda said. "I'm forever proud and forever thankful that he chose to serve. He's my best friend. He's my soulmate. I'm excited for the next chapter. But I'm so proud."
According to the city's website, Chief Jenkins achieved the following:
"In his capacity, he is responsible for over 150 career employees in ten locations. Under Tom’s leadership, the Rogers Fire Department has become accredited by the Center for Public Safety Excellence (since 2011) and the Commission on Accreditation of Ambulance Services (since 2012), and was awarded an Insurance Service Officer Public Protection Classification of one in 2015.
Chief Jenkins was asked by Governors Beebe and Hutchison to serve on several state commissions and groups, including the Trauma Advisory Council, Firefighter Cancer Benefit Review Panel, and the Safe Schools Commission. Chief Jenkins has served as a professor for both Northwest Arkansas Community College, Drury University, and Oklahoma State University, teaching topics that range from leadership, strategic planning, and administration to fire hydraulics and suppression tactics. In 2015, Chief Jenkins was elected to serve on the Board of Directors for the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) as the second vice president. In 2017, he was elected president and chairman of the Board for the IAFC at Fire Rescue International in Charlotte, North Carolina. He served in this capacity until 2018. He is the current chairperson of the Past President's Council for the IAFC.
In addition to public service, Tom is a regular presenter at fire and emergency medical conferences. He has taught and spoken on the international stage and has been recognized on the Walk of Honor at the National Fire Academy in Emmitsburg, Maryland. Chief Jenkins completed his Masters in Public Administration from the University of Oklahoma with an emphasis in Public Personnel Management and obtained his Bachelors degree in Fire Protection and Safety Engineering Technology from Oklahoma State University. He completed the Executive Fire Officer Program at the National Fire Academy and is a designated Chief Fire Officer and Chief Emergency Medical Services Officer from the Commission on Public Credentialing. He currently serves on multiple boards and committees, including the NFPA Standard on Organization and Deployment of Career Fire Departments Standard 1710 and the NFPA Standard on Fire Hose (as chairperson). He is also a member of the International Fire Service Training Association Board of Directors, PulsePoint Foundation Advisory Board, and National Fallen Firefighters Foundation Advisory Board. "
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