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Richard Kelley

Fire Chief
Oklahoma City Fire Department , Oklahoma

Richard A. Kelley
Fire Chief
Oklahoma City Fire Department

Richard A. Kelley began his career with the Oklahoma City Fire Department (OKCFD) in 1991 and was appointed Fire Chief in September 2017. Over more than three decades of service, he has advanced through every rank in suppression and has held key leadership roles including Special Operations Coordinator, Technical Rescue Station Officer, Ride-Out Officer, Battalion Chief, Deputy Chief of Support Services, and Deputy Chief of Operations.

Chief Kelley is a certified Fire Instructor II, EMT, HazMat Technician, Rescue Technician, Dive Team Member, and Task Force Leader for Oklahoma Task Force 1. He has also shared his knowledge as an adjunct instructor for the Eastern Oklahoma County Vo-Tech Fire Training Academy, mentoring and developing future firefighters for more than a decade.

Deeply engaged in professional and civic leadership, Chief Kelley is an active member of the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC), National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), Oklahoma Fire Chiefs Association (OFCA), and the Metropolitan Fire Chiefs Association. He is Past President of the Oklahoma Fire Chiefs Association and continues to serve the community through board roles with the YMCA of Greater Oklahoma City, the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum (Ex Officio Member and Conscience Committee), and the OSU-OKC Fire Protection AAS and BT Degree Advisory Board.

His career achievements have been recognized with multiple honors, including Captain/Major of the Year (2005) and Special Operations Work Section of the Year (2006).

Chief Kelley holds an A.A.S. in Municipal Fire Protection and a Bachelor of Technology in Emergency Responder Administration from Oklahoma State University. He has completed extensive leadership training, including coursework at the National Fire Academy, the Oklahoma Executive Fire Officer Leadership Program (2015), and Leadership Oklahoma City, Class 37 (2018).

Outside of his professional service, Chief Kelley values time with his wife Liz, their blended family of five children—Mikayla, Johnna, Addison, Emily, and Nick—and their grandchildren Karter Jaye, Gunner Barron, Erin, Legend, Toby, Evelyn, and Johnnie. He is passionate about fitness, family, and faith, and is an active member of Life Church NW.

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