ROGERS, Ark. — Rogers Fire Chief Tom Jenkins is set to retire by the end of the year, ending a 15-year career at the Rogers Fire Department.
Jenkins has been the fire chief in Rogers since 2009. He said that ever since he was a kid, he wanted to be a firefighter.
"I admired the notoriety and trust given to firefighters. I think my parents always hoped I grow out of it secretly. But looking back on it now, it was such a blessing" Jenkins said.
Jenkins started out his career by serving as a volunteer firefighter in Oklahoma while in high school.
"I was fortunate enough to go to college, work as a firefighter, and come over here as the fire chief in 2009," Jenkins said.
In his run as chief, Jenkins has built two stations and led Rogers to be the first fire department in Northwest Arkansas to be accredited.
“We have worked tirelessly to develop a fire department that reflected the needs of a growing community" Jenkins said. "I've hired or promoted probably 80% to 90% of the department."
Jenkins says that in his 15 years, Rogers has changed and grown but the caliber of people has not.
"The quality of the women and men that work here that when I got here, it was, you know, a hungry group of firefighters that were ready to be the best. And today that remains the same" Jenkins said.
Jenkins told 5NEWS that one of the biggest challenges in the position he faced was navigating the pandemic, but the teamwork his crew brought is something he is proud of.
“We had to step up, especially in those early days where we didn't have a lot of information like we do now. But whether it was fire, whether it's all the emergencies that come in between these men and women have challenges every day, and they rise to the occasion. And it's been a blessing to work here and a blessing to work with this team,” Jenkins said.
Jenkins says that his next step is working on a national level for fire and EMS agencies but that he's not leaving Rogers anytime soon.
“I retired from the fire department here in Rogers as an adopted son of the city. I don't know that I'd ever want to live in another community," Jenkins said. "And if there's no greater testament to the friendships that I've made here, and the quality that I think we have to offer here in Northwest Arkansas, to a guy from Oklahoma anyway, it's that I'm happy to call this home.”
Watch 5NEWS on YouTube.
Download the 5NEWS app on your smartphone:
Stream 5NEWS 24/7 on the 5+ app: How to watch the 5+ app on your streaming device
To report a typo or grammatical error, please email KFSMDigitalTeam@tegna.com and detail which story you're referring to.