State Rep Randy Terrill today praised Jon Hansen's selection as head of the Council on Firefighter Training, saying Hansen is the "right leader at the right time."

"Jon has nationally renowned skills, expertise and experience that makes him uniquely qualified for the job," said Terrill, R-Oklahoma City.  "Given what he's done throughout his career, Jon brings enormous credibility to the position and will once again prove a tremendous asset to the state of Oklahoma."

Hansen served 27 years on the Oklahoma City Fire Department where he rose through the ranks to become Assistant Chief and served on the Incident Management team during the 1995 Murrah Building Bombing. 

In addition, when the F5-F6 tornado devastated much of central Oklahoma in 1999, Hansen helped establish the Incident Management team to handle large-scale major disasters.

Hansen was later called to assist at the World Trade Center and in the aftermath of Hurricanes Charley, Ivan and Katrina.

In 2000, Hansen was President George W Bush's nominee for U.S. Fire Administrator, the highest position in the fire service.

Hansen is a graduate of the National Fire Academy's Executive Fire Officer Program, the top Fire Leadership program in the country and is past president of the Oklahoma Fire Chiefs Association.

Having returned to Oklahoma, Hansen said said he is eager to lead the Council on Firefighter Training.

"Having been a part of the Oklahoma fire service my entire life, this job was an opportunity to give something back and raise the bar on training.  The end result of this process will be better service for our citizens," Hansen said.  "We have some challenges ahead, but also some exciting opportunities."

The Council on Firefighter Training receives funding through the Office of the State Fire Marshal and coordinates firefighter training, as well as overseeing tax-break programs for firefighters, among other duties.

"The Oklahoma State Fire Marshal's Office looks forward to working with Chief Hansen and his staff at COFT," said State Fire Marshal Robert Doke.  "Jon has a very unique and effective style of leadership that will be extremely beneficial for the fire service in Oklahoma."

Hansen will take the helm at COFT on Nov. 1.