Gerald Petre is the University Fire Marshal for the Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) department at Oklahoma State University (OSU) in Stillwater, Oklahoma. Originally from Detroit, Jerry enlisted in the U.S. Navy in July of 1990, where he spent 20 years working on alarms and warning systems, earning his qualification as shipboard fire marshal. In 2010, he retired from the Navy and worked briefly at the Pentagon where he maintained fire protection and suppression systems. He soon moved to Oklahoma and began working at OSU as a chilled water plant operator before transitioning to a Fire Alarm Technician for the Environmental Health and Safety department. He was promoted to Deputy Fire Marshall in early 2015, a position he held until September 2016 when he was again promoted to University Fire Marshal. He holds a bachelor's degree in fire administration from Columbia Southern University. He earned his Fire Inspector I certification in 2015 from the International Fire Service Accreditation Congress