The Arkansas Department of Public Safety announced in an August 24th news release that the Arkansas Division of Emergency Management has appointed Mr. John Hogue as the next State Fire Marshal.
Mr. Hogue succeeds Dennis Free who retired on July 1st.
Besides his responsibility for enforcing, periodically revising, and updating the Arkansas Fire Prevention Code, the State Fire Marshal’s Office is responsible for oversight of storing highly flammable material and crude petroleum or any of its products. This includes oversight of the regulation and permitting of certain aboveground storage tanks. Further, the Arkansas Fire Marshal also served as one of the seven members of the Arkansas Advisory Committee on Petroleum Storage Tanks established by Arkansas Act 173 of 1989.
The Arkansas Department of Public Safety news release notes that Mr. Hogue has 32 years of specialized experience in fire, explosion, and hazardous materials investigation. He is a certified investigator of fire and explosions and a licensed private investigator. His career is stated to include extensive service as a fire investigator, law enforcement officer, fire code inspector and plans reviewer, Urban Search and Rescue technician, hazardous materials technician, fire captain/EMT, and a member of the bomb squad.
The news release states that he has conducted over 1,500 fire and explosive investigations across the United States and holds multiple nationally recognized certifications.
A copy of the news release can be downloaded here.
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