County Fire Prevention Society Honors Farmington Hills Fire Marshal

At a recent ceremony among his peers from throughout Michigan, Marshal Stephen Hume was selected as the Oakland County Fire Prevention Society Fire Inspector of the Year.

Hume hired on with the Farmington Hills Fire Department in 1975 as a paid, on-call firefighter and was the first career firefighter hired by the Department in 1977. He rose through the ranks to Fire Marshal in 1985. Hume oversees all the department's fire prevention efforts, including fire inspections, plan review, fire systems acceptance and compliance testing, hazardous materials, and fire investigations.

Hume has headed up educational training scenarios, like burning live and artificial Christmas trees to see which burns fastest and is safest. He has also conducted test burns of Halloween costumes, tested turkey fryers, and demonstrated the devastation of illegal fireworks. He works closely with local media to spread safety information to residents.

Under his direction, the Farmington Hills Fire Department has received numerous awards for its public education efforts. 

“Steve Hume is a consummate professional and one of the most knowledgeable fire service professionals in the State of Michigan,” said Lt. Denny Hughes, who has worked under Hume's leadership for many years. “When other fire marshals and fire officials from across the state of Michigan call him for advice, you know he’s considered an authority on fire prevention and safety.”

Hume is the first recipient of the Bill Gage Memorial Fire Inspector of the Year Award, which is named in honor of Bill Gage, a fire inspector with the Brighton Area Fire Authority who lost his battle with cancer earlier this year. Gage’s widow and two sons presented Hume with the award.