Novi Fire Chief
Frank A. Smith
If the shoe (or boots)
fit… wear them!

While attending Lawrence Tech and studying architecture in the 70’s, current Novi Fire Chief Frank Smith often saw official looking vehicles speeding by with their red lights in full operation, most likely on the way to provide relief to someone in need. 

“I always wondered what that was all about, so I asked around,” Smith stated. 

By his junior year in college he was a paid on-call firefighter. He fell in love with the work and ironically, his initial position with the City of Farmington Hills materialized because his standard issued boots, fit! 

Two-years later in 1976 he decided he wanted to do this full time and although there were some people that were upset he wasn’t finishing his degree, he proclaimed strongly, “I thoroughly love it!” 

In September 1976 he was hired in Bloomfield Twp, and 30 years later, he actually retired in October 2006. But, just 4 days after that, he signed on with the City of Novi, to become their Fire Chief. In large part he was very inspired by Mayor David Landry’s State of the City address, and he was very motivated to be a part of a regime for which he has a high affinity. 

Over the years, Frank Smith has taught his craft at OCC, Madonna College and Michigan State, just to name a few, and has lectured on subjects such as; Introduction to Fire protection, fire service, tactics and strategies, and hazardous materials. 

But in addition to fighting fires, the Fire Department stands ready to help people in predicaments that are sometimes so bizarre; they are almost not to be believed. However, as Chief Smith says, “When you don’t know who to call, call us, you’ve most likely got a problem we’ve already seen, and we can help.” From a dog caught under a deck, to a baby’s arm stuck in a high chair, the Fire Dept deals a lot with everyday folk just trying to get through life. 

At the end of the day, for Frank Smith, there is a tremendous amount of pride in being a firefighter. “This is a job where people are proud to say the do it,” he added. 

“People can rely on the Fire Dept when they need help,” “and we want to continue helping people” 

After all these years, the boots still fit.