By Bill Carey
4 January 2026
TULSA, Okla. — The Tulsa Fire Department has announced the death of Assistant Fire Marshal Stephen Mixon, who suffered a medical emergency during his shift.
In a Facebook post on 2 January, the department said that no additional details would be released as notifications were still being made. The cause and nature of death have not been reported.
News On 6 reported that Mixon was hired by the department and entered the fire academy in 1998, serving over the course of nearly 28 years. Recently, Mixon served in the Code Enforcement Office as an Assistant Fire Marshal.
Pending notification from the USFA, and unknown line-of-duty deaths not reported in the news, Mixon is likely the first on-duty death of 2026.
In 2025, stress and overexertion accounted for nearly 53% of the on-duty deaths and were the leading cause of death that year, according to USFA data available on 4 January 2026. Cardiovascular events and heart attacks were the leading nature of death and accounted for half of the yearly total.
Additional reporting:
TFD mourns passing of assistant fire marshal, FOX 23
Tulsa Fire Department mourns passing of Assistant Fire Marshal Stephen Mixon, KTUL
Photo courtesy of the Tulsa Fire Department/Facebook.
Data Not Drama 