IFD mourns death of FDIC leader Bobby Halton
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Many firefighters in Indianapolis and across the Hoosier state are mourning the loss of a towering figure in their field.
Chief (Ret.) Bobby Halton, the editor-in-chief of “Fire Engineering” magazine and the educational director for the Fire Department Instructors Conference, passed away at his home in Oklahoma on Monday, the magazine says.
Halton, a native New Yorker, was a longtime chief for departments in New Mexico and Texas, but he built a legacy in Indiana through his leadership at FDIC, which is held in the Circle City each year.
The retired fire chief had strong ties to the Indianapolis Fire Department, according to IFD Battalion Chief Rita Reith. He appeared often at IFD events and served as the keynote speaker for the department’s annual recognition ceremony for nearly two decades.
Halton was set to attend Wednesday’s ribbon-cutting ceremony for IFD’s new training academy, according to Reith, and he was “ecstatic” that the department was getting a dedicated campus for training.
“He was a true champion and friend of the IFD and the City of Indianapolis,” Reith said.
Halton was also a friend of WISH-TV and a made several appearances on Daybreak over the years.
Arrangements are being made at the Dighton Moore Funeral Service in Owasso, Oklahoma.
Read Halton’s full obituary on the “Fire Engineering” website.