Community Corner
Person of Week: Meet Forks Fire Chief Charles Chapman
Chapman 'jumped the river' from New Jersey and joined the department.
Name: Charles Chapman
Your Job: Forks Township Fire Chief
Age: 52
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Lives: Forks Township
Family: Wife Karen, daughter Kelsey, 20, and son Connor, 15. Connor is also a junior member of the fire department.
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How long in the job? Since January 2010
When did you start as a firefighter? In 1988 in Anchorage, Alaska, where I was stationed while serving in the U.S. Army. I also served as a volunteer firefighter in South Carolina and Eatontown, NJ. I retired from the military in 2002 and “jumped the river” from New Jersey, moved to Forks and joined the fire department.
About your job: I am chief of the Forks Township Fire Department, a department that has 40 members and responds to 450-500 calls a year. Some of our members are paramedics or EMTs, so if needed, we can provide first response until Suburban EMS ambulance arrives. As a department head for the township, I am responsible for financial oversight of the department as well as training and administration. We are a municipal fire department and supported by the Forks Township Board of Supervisors. I am a team-oriented leader and delegate responsibilities to my officers and firefighters.
Interested in joining the fire department? Meetings are held Mondays at 6:30pm at the fire station, 1606 Sullivan Trail.