CHARLESTON, W.VA. — Dear Media Partners and West Virginia Citizens:
It is 2024. July 15 th will be 115 years since the West Virginia Fire Marshal’s Office was established by the state legislature and staffed by 4 fire marshals. These 4 brave and dedicated people covered our entire state, traveling many miles by train, car and on horseback. They traveled these miles and spent all that time away from their homes because they believed in protecting the residents of this state from fire and its dangers…
So, I cannot mark this anniversary without recognizing the many whose shoulders we as an agency stand on: our families, the statewide fire service and law enforcement community of colleagues that we have had the pleasure to be associated with through our collaborations, partnership, and service to protect to keep safe and help limit the risk from fire and other emergencies by our service in fire and explosion investigation, fire code inspections, fire code plans reviews, fire department evaluations, and various regulatory and licensing services.
My thoughts on this occasion always lead me to Charles Ellison and Walter Smittle III. Charles Ellison was the first of us, the very first state fire marshal back in 1909. Just 27 years old when he took office, he had the daunting task of setting the precedent for all of us that would follow. And then to late Walter Smittle who passed away on August 25, 2022. He was the longest serving State Fire Marshal to this date with 26 years of service from 1974 to 1999. He left a legacy and a mark of advancement not only on this State but throughout this Nation as one of the most decorated State Fire Marshals this nation has known.
I hope that the legacy and history of this agency will be that of growth, professionalism, integrity, and a caring approach for all who visit and live in this great State!
Closing in on my 10 th year of service within this agency and to our great State, I am humbled and honored to be the 19 th State Fire Marshal in West Virginia’s history in a land and state that I love.
Sincerely,
Kenneth E. Tyree Jr.
WV State Fire Marshal