Dr. Carl Holmes was one of the first 12 African American firefighters that the Oklahoma City Fire Department hired. In an age of racism and discrimination, the challenges these 12 men faced were profound. In spite of the challenges, they knew merely meeting expectations of performance would not be adequate. Due in large part to the leadership of Chief Holmes, they worked and trained very hard proving that they were worthy of their positions on the Oklahoma City Fire Department. This attitude of determination served these men well as many of them applied themselves and promoted up through the ranks of the department.

Holmes Rises Through the Ranks

Through the years of jumping on and off of the fire engines, Chief Holmes climbed to the top of the professional ladder by becoming Assistant Fire Chief of the Oklahoma City Fire Department. In this position, he was second in command of an organization of more than 1,200 fire service professionals and the third African American in the United States to hold this position.

Chief Holmes’ achievements within the Department were many and he received national recognition for his many innovative changes in overall Department operations. Chief Holmes redesigned and improved employment processes which have been emulated by other Fire Departments nationwide. He reorganized the department’s promotional system and introduced an integrated departmentwide technology, making the OCFD one of the nation’s first Fire Departments to utilize advance technologies and enhanced business management practices and assessments. Other Departments from across the country requested the assistance of Chief Holmes to reorganize and streamline their department operations to improve effectiveness and productivity.

Chief Holmes was also an adjunct professor at the University of Oklahoma and an instructor at Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, OK where he was awarded and an honorary doctoral degree in Fire Service Engineering. He also served as an advisor to many small Oklahoma cities helping to supervise formation of firefighting operations conducting drills and inspections and teaching classes.

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) appointed Chief Holmes to a committee to develop its standards, which are the nationally accepted training standards for firefighters. He was later assigned by NFPA to develop standards for aircraft crashes, as well as Company Officers.

Chief Holmes retired from the Oklahoma City Fire Department in 1981, and by then his reputation as a proven fire service leader was known throughout the nation. He was in high demand as a keynote speaker and instructor and he was courted by major cities such as Chicago, San Francisco, and Los Angeles to become their Fire Chief.

Chief Holmes as Mentor and Co-Founder of EDI

Chief Holmes had a higher purpose and greater vision in mind. He began consulting on a full-time basis with a focus on the development of minority firefighters as leaders and managers in the fire service. This work led him to create what would be his most indelible mark on the American fire service. The Carl Holmes Executive Development Institute (EDI) began in 1991 at Florida A&M University in Tallahassee, FL.

The mission of EDI was to develop the management skills and leadership potential of African-American firefighters to prepare them for attainment of higher ranks. This was to augment their own personal higher education and was structured to be specific to the subjects of fire department budgets, community-based fire and EMS programs, media relations and fire personnel management. This concept was born out of Chief Holmes’ personal experience and knowledge of what was most needed. EDI has proven to be one of the most successful programs of its kind with hundreds of graduates now serving as Officers, Chief Officers and Fire Chiefs.

Since its inception nearly 32 years ago, the Carl Holmes Executive Development Institute has served more than 2,000 participants from across the United States, Canada, the Caribbean, Europe and Africa.

Chief Holmes’ impact in the fire service is beyond measurable which is a testament to those who have attended EDI or participated in his training courses and lectures. Chief Holmes made an impact on thousands of people in the fire service industry by teaching real-world applications in the development of future fire service leaders. He was passionate about issues related to equitable hiring practices, promotions, training, operations and the day-to-day needs of the community by their fire department.

The impact of his leadership in promoting diversity in the higher ranks of the American fire service is still very evident to this day. Chief Holmes was a major catalyst in improving the fire service through the development of the leadership and management skills of African-American firefighters, many of whom have successfully attained higher ranks and positions in fire departments across the nation.