THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, April 6, 1995 TAG: 9504050193
SECTION: SUFFOLK SUN PAGE: 03 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY SHIRLEY BRINKLEY, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: SUFFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 73 lines
WHEN FIRE CHIEF Mark R. Outlaw arrived at the Jaycees' annual banquet, he was surprised to learn that he was the guest of honor.
His invitation had noted that the person to be lauded was someone he knew well, so he had come to applaud the recipient's good fortune.
Spotting William Harrell, an assistant city manager, Outlaw thought he was the man. ``But after he got up to speak, it began to dawn on me . . .''
Outlaw, 37, was chosen from among a large number of nominees for the Suffolk Jaycees' Outstanding Young Man of the Year.
Brink Nelms, chairman of the selection committee, said: ``This is a lifetime achievement award. Mark is an exceptional person in his career and his home life. I've personally looked up to him all my life. He's always been a person you could trust and depend on.
``The City of Suffolk could not have gotten a better person to run the fire department.''
Outlaw, who grew up in Driver, is a graduate of Western Branch High School. As a high school student, he followed his father's example by volunteering his services at the Driver Volunteer Fire Department.
After working at Newport News Shipbuilding for two years, Outlaw chose firefighting as a career and came up through the ranks. He received an associate degree in fire science and is currently attending Old Dominion University. He plans to receive a bachelor's degree in public administration in 1996.
Outlaw was a firefighter for eight years before advancing to lieutenant, deputy fire marshal and captain. When former Fire Chief J. Samuel Carter retired last year, Outlaw applied for the position and was appointed Suffolk's fire chief by City Manager Richard L. Hedrick.
Outlaw has seen major changes in firefighting in the past 10 years.
``We used to have a reputation of sitting around and playing cards,'' Outlaw said, smiling, ``but there has been a drastic change in regulations. In every 24-hour shift, there is some kind of safety training class.
``Twenty years ago, fires burned wood, paper and cloth. You just coughed and went on, but now plastics and chemicals cause us to wear air units more often. The smoke is deadly. Technology is creating big problems for fire service.''
Although the days of shift work are over, Outlaw always carries a beeper with him.
``Firefighting is not just putting water on a building,'' he said. ``We have to make decisions, and there's a lot of planning that has to go on. It starts with me . . . since I've been given the responsibility.''
Outlaw said his most important goal is to reduce the response time to emergencies.
``The last city fire station was built in 1963,'' he said. ``Some places take 15 minutes to get to, and we are trying to get down to five minutes. We've got to start spreading out. If it takes 10 or 15 minutes to get to someone who is having a heart attack, that's not acceptable. The Nansemond-Suffolk Rescue Squad receives 8,000 calls a year.''
Outlaw and his wife, Patty, have two sons, Adam, 13, and Victor, 10. He was president of the Bennetts Creek Little League for several years and has been involved with the Bennetts Creek Football Association. As a member of the education committee at the Berea Christian Church, Outlaw is responsible for selecting hymnals and teaching materials for Sunday school.
He is also a member of the Bennetts Creek Sertoma Club and the Nansemond Masonic Lodge Number 77 in Driver.
This year, Outlaw will assume another responsibility, chairman of the United Way campaign for all city employees. ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by MICHAEL KESTNER
Mark Outlaw, chief of the Suffolk Fire Department, is the Jaycees'
Outstanding Young Man of the Year. He was cited as ``an exceptional
person in his career and his home life.''
by CNB