VERSAILLES, Ky. (July 30, 2012) – The Kentucky Firefighter’s Association (KFA) will induct three new members into its Hall of Fame at the 92nd Annual KFA State Conference this week in Lexington.
The KFA Hall of Fame was created in 2002 to recognize and honor individuals who have demonstrated outstanding leadership and exceptional contributions to the formation and continued success of the association. This induction will be the 10th annual ceremony and bring the total KFA Hall of Fame class to 41 members.
The induction ceremony will take place at the annual closing banquet of the four-day KFA conference at 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Clarion Hotel, 1950 Newtown Pike in Lexington.
The new inductees are:
— Richard H. Bogard: Chief Richard H. Bogard, born October 21, 1917, joined the Elizabethtown Fire Department in 1933, when he was 16 years old, beginning a distinguished career in emergency service. Richard advanced through the ranks as an apparatus officer, drill instructor and assistant chief before serving as Elizabethtown’s Fire Chief from 1954-1959.
Chief Bogard became active in the KFA during the late 1940s and served as treasurer for two years before becoming a vice-president and then KFA President in 1955-56. Chief Bogard was extremely active statewide and a regular at State Fire School both as an attendee starting in 1948 and in later years as a valued instructor. In 1959, Chief Bogard’s contacts throughout the state made him a perfect choice as one of two statewide instructors for Firemen’s Training with the Division of Trade and Industrial Education in the Bureau of Vocation Education, a forerunner to what we know today as Fire Service Training. He worked training career and volunteer firefighters in this role throughout the 1960s.
“Bogie” later took his talents to the State Fire Marshal’s office where he worked from 1974 until his passing on December 2, 1986, always remembering and supporting the KFA.
— William “Bill” Martin: J. William “Bill” Martin joined the Erlanger Fire Department as a volunteer member at the age of 21. In 1979, after serving eight years as a volunteer, Chief Martin was hired by the Erlanger Fire Department as their first career employee, serving as fire inspector.
In 1991, Martin was hired as the first career chief of the Point Pleasant Fire Dept. In 1992 he moved back to Erlanger as their first career chief. He also served as chief of the Hebron Fire Protection District. He has been extremely active in the Northern Kentucky Firefighters Association serving many roles including president.
Chief Martin has provided many years of dedicated service to the Kentucky Firefighters Association. He served as KFA Vice President for three terms until he was appointed as the State Fire Marshal in 1989. He has served on numerous KFA committees throughout the years including chair of the Public Education Committee. He was an original member of the Scholarship Committee, was a member of the Finance and Audit committee and was the KFA representative on the Kentucky Board of Housing and Building Construction.
Chief Martin also served as chairman of the KFA EMS Committee for several years. He has retired as a chief officer but still remains active in the fire service and the KFA.
— Bryant Stiles: Bryant Stiles became interested in the fire service at age 17 joining as a junior firefighter with the McLean County Central District Fire Department in 1974. By 1980, he had become the department’s training officer and in 2000 became Chief of the McLean Fire District. He became the Area 3 Rescue Training Director in 1990 and was involved in many fire service advancements during his time as training director and also while serving as curriculum chair for State Fire Rescue Training.
Bryant Stiles has served the Kentucky Firefighters Association in many capacities during his career. He has been one of the KFA’s two directors on the National Volunteer Fire Council for more than 20 years. In 1997, he was elected treasurer of the KFA replacing Wayne Watts.
Stiles was instrumental in modernizing the accounting systems of the KFA during his six-year tenure as treasurer and assisting the presidents that he served under in building the revenue of the KFA. He currently serves on the finance committee. Today, Bryant Stiles is serving as the Division Director for Homeland Security Exercise Division and State Fire Rescue Training.
Extremely active in the Green River Regional Firefighters Association since its formation in 1984, he served as association newsletter editor for 10 years and treasurer for five years. He is still very active with Green River and the KFA and can be seen working behind the scenes at the Green River Officers School, State Fire School, National Volunteer Fire Council and anywhere that he can have a positive influence in training the firefighters of Kentucky.
For more information on the KFA Hall of Fame, call committee chairman John Daley, at 1-859-635-9255 or 1-859-653-4116.
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