A retirement party in honor of retiring Chief Forney Howard will be Wednesday from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. at the Orange Beach Community Center on Canal Road.

Howard came to the City of Orange Beach in January 2001 after retiring from City of Birmingham Fire Department with 30 years of service,  where he had begun his career in 1970. At his etirement from Birmingham, Chief Howard was a Battalion Chief in the eastern district of that city. During his Birmingham employment Forney also served in the Birmingham Fire Training Division for five years as Captain and as Chief of Training. During this period, more than 500 firefighter recruits were trained and graduated from the Training Bureau.

He states he had the privilege of being part of the first Paramedic Class in the State of Alabama; this was during the summer of 1973. This group was trained at the University of Alabama Regional Technical Institute and licensed by the State Department of Health the same year. He is proud that he still has a current Alabama Paramedic license. Chief Howard served on the Birmingham’s first Haz Mat Unit for the City of Birmingham.

Chief Howard also held several part-time positions throughout his career. He worked in the University of Alabama Emergency Room as an EMT for four years gaining valuable experience in emergency medicine. For 13 years he was part of a team that provided Firemedics at the Jim Walter Coke Oven Operations Clinic in North Birmingham. For seven years Chief Howard worked for the Alabama Fire College as a Regional Coordinator working with many different fire departments within a six county region in central Alabama. He was recognized as Firefighter of the Year in Orange Beach for 2003, Emergency Technician of the Year for Birmingham in 1975, and has been a past member and past President of the Alabama Association of Fire Chiefs. Chief served on the Board of Trustees for South Baldwin Medical Center and is currently on the Board of Trustees for Columbia Southern University.

Chief Howard has attended many National Fire Academy classes and completed several Fire Service courses through the Alabama Fire College. He graduated from Columbia Southern University in 2008 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Fire Science; he was 62 years old at that time. One of his greatest thrills and honors was speaking at his own graduation with his entire family in the

audience, something he says he will never forget.

In April 2004 Forney Howard was appointed interim Fire Chief for the City of Orange Beach and the following month the Mayor and Council made the appointment permanent.  His experience and abilities were tested quickly as Fire Chief when Hurricane Ivan made a direct hit on the Gulf Coast in September of that same year. Before becoming fire chief he worked in several different positions for the City – firefighter, paramedic, training officer, and fire inspector.

Under his tenure with the City of Orange Beach, Chief Howard has lead the Fire Department and the Emergency Management team through several tropical occurrences, fires and the 2010 BP oil spill.  Less than two months prior to his retirement, Chief Howard directed the Orange Beach Fire and Rescue team in the successful effort battling the Gulf State Park Wildfire. Chief Howard’s retirement as Fire Chief of Orange Beach will be effective Aug. 1.

Howard has been married to the lovely Joyce for 45 years and has two children and five grandchildren.