Published on March 19, 2021

The Wheeling Fire Department mourns the loss of retired Fire Chief Cliff Sligar, who died Wednesday, March 17 in Wheeling.

Chief Sligar joined the WFD in June 1955. He served as Chief of the department from 1971 until his retirement in 1995. After leaving the WFD, he was elected to serve as a city councilman for eight years. In all, he gave close to five decades of public service to the City of Wheeling.

Current Fire Chief Larry Helms has fond memories of Sligar. “He was a firefighters Chief. He always had your back; and to me, he always will be the chief of the Wheeling Fire Department.”

Former Fire Chief Steven Johnston, who succeeded Sligar as Chief in 1995 and served in that position until 2007 said, “He was my professional father. He trusted me enough to hire me, and for that, I am eternally grateful. He always made himself available and never turned down a phone call. There was no one more committed to the WFD than Cliff Sligar.”

Sligar shaped the WFD to what it is today. He was instrumental in the department’s paramedic program and updating tactics and strategies on how firefighters would approach a number of fire and emergency situations (just to name a few).

In 2019, Chief Sligar was honored by Mayor Glenn Elliott at his annual State of the City address. Mayor Elliott said in part, “For 40 years, including 24 as chief, Cliff came to work at the Wheeling Fire Department to keep us safe. As chief, he was instrumental in bringing Emergency Medical Services to the Fire Department. Under his leadership, the Department’s investigation division was launched and the Police and Fire Departments combined their communication systems…I have no doubt that our community is safer today thanks to the efforts of Chief Sligar.”

Sligar was met with several challenging emergency situations. In January 1988, an oil spill in the Ohio River contaminated the city’s water supply. A letter to Sligar from then City Manager Mike Nau said in part, “I want to take a moment to tell you how impressed I was with your handling of the recent water crisis. I was dependent upon you throughout this crisis and you certainly maintained my confidence level in dealing with this situation. I have heard many times how fortunate the City of Wheeling is to have such a compatible and qualified individual protecting the public safety of our citizens. I certainly owe you a debt of gratitude.”

Thank you for your service to our country, our city and the Wheeling Fire Department, Chief! You will be missed. Our thoughts are with his wife, Sherry, two children, grandchildren and extended family.