City of Wilson Fire Chief
1992 – 2017

Chief Don Oliver began his career as a firefighter with the Wichita Kansas Fire Department in March 1967. He served as a firefighter, fire apparatus driver, District Chief’s Aide and Rescue Squad member during his tenure. He resigned from Wichita Fire in March 1973 to become a member of the Thornton, Colorado Fire Department (1973-1992) his ranks included Firefighter, Firefighter Specialist/Engineer, Fire Lieutenant, Training Officer, Assistant Fire Chief and Chief of the Department. He served as the Chief of the Wilson Fire/Rescue Services from  March of 1992 to September 2017.

During his tenure the department has undergone many significant changes. In 1993 the fire apparatus colors were changed back to the traditional red with white tops. Rapid Response Teams (Squads w/2 Firefighters) were initiated to respond to the increasing number of Emergency Medical calls in the city. In 1994, Wilson Fire Department became Wilson Fire/Rescue Services (WF/RS) and adopted the motto “Dedicated to Life Safety”. Stations #3 & #5 were relocated to better serve the community in 1995. A Firefighter Apprentice program and a regional Fire/Rescue Training Academy were developed through a partnership with Wilson Community College in 1994. The Fire Prevention Bureau was expanded with the number of full time inspectors increasing from 2 to 5. A Fire & Life Safety Educator was added in 1998 and the WF/RS Fire & Life Safety Adventure House was opened in 2009. WF/RS received the Accredited Fire Department status in 2002 and was reaccredited in 2007 and improved the Insurance Services Office (ISO) fire protection rating to a Class 2.

Chief Oliver graduated from Columbia College (Missouri) with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Individual Studies with a concentration in fire service administration. He was a 1988 graduate of the National Fire Academy’s Executive Fire Officer Program (EFOP), a 1990 graduate of the Management Excellence Program from the Center for Public Service at University of Virginia, a member of The Institution of Fire Engineers (UK), and attained the Chief Fire Officer Designation (CFOD) from the Commission on Professional Credentialing from the Center for Public Safety Excellence in 2002.