Family, friends and firefighters said goodbye to a man who spent decades of his life with the Limestone Fire Department and with the Tulsa Police Department.

People who knew Chief Carl Smith said he played a vital role in the growth of Limestone Fire.

The stories in the Something Good segment often feature resilience, kindness compassion - attributes News On 6 learned Chief Smith used to advocate for the men and women of Limestone Fire. 

Limestone Firefighters said people in the area called him “Chief.” They said he helped grow the department from one station with five or six trucks to three stations with 22 trucks and 30 members. 

He was a Navy Veteran and got the nickname Corporal Serious while he was working with Tulsa police for more than 30 years. He was a volunteer firefighter and then chief in Limestone for more than 40 years. 

His grandkids and kids spoke about him Tuesday at his funeral, one of his grandkids is becoming a Tulsa Police Officer to follow in his grandfather’s footsteps. They all talked about Chief’s need to do whatever needed to be done to protect the people around him, through his career and personal life. They said being around him meant he was going to teach you some kind of lesson that day. 

Instead of flowers, the family is asking for people to donate to Oklahoma Firefighters Burn Camp in Chief’s honor, a nonprofit that invites children that are burn victims to summer camp.