The Gary Tilton Firefighter Training Fund has been serving the firefighters of Texas since 2005. We exist for two purposes; continue the passion and legacy of fallen Katy Fire Chief Gary Tilton and to stand in the "fiscal gap" for first responders, assisting to keep them safe, trained and ready to serve.
The Gary Tilton Firefighter Training Fund Mission:
The mission of The Gary Tilton Firefighter Training Fund is to support the firefighters of the state of Texas in the acquistion of training and equipment.
Chief Gary Tilton
Chief Tilton was an
Eagle Scout and a U.S. Army veteran. He was a member of the First Baptist
Church of Katy and had served for 5 years as a City of Katy Councilman. He was dedicated to his
community and his fellow man. Over the years he belonged to 43 service
organizations. He excelled in all of those organizations by being Chairman,
President, Person of the Year, etc., etc., etc.
Chief Tilton
volunteered for 31 years with the Katy Fire Department. During that time he
served the department as Assistant Chief, Rescue Captain, Suppression Captain,
Lieutenant, Quartermaster, and Training Officer. At the time of his death he was living his dream
of being Chief of the Katy Fire Department. He had a passion for training firefighters.
He founded and served as coordinator of the KatyAreaVehicleExtrication
& Rescue School. Chief Tilton served as an instructor at many fire training schools
across Texas.
Among those were the Texas A & M Municipal Fireman's Training School for 20
plus years.
During his years in the fire service Gary was honored with many awards. Among
those were Firefighter of the Year for the Katy Fire Department, Firefighter of
the Year for the Gulf Coast Firefighter's Association, and Firefighter of the
Year for the State Firemen's and Fire Marshals' Association of Texas. Gary was awarded Instructor of the Year from the Brazoria
and FortBendCounties
as well as Instructor of the Year from the Texas Society of Fire Service
Instructors.
