Director Eriks Gabliks

Director of DPSST and Oregon Public Safety Academy

Eriks Gabliks began his public safety career in 1980.  He currently serves as the Director of the Oregon Department of Public Safety Standards and Training (DPSST) and the Oregon Public Safety Academy.  In this position he leads a diverse workforce that provide basic, specialized, and advanced training and certification services to over 41,000 police officers, corrections officers, parole and probation officers, public safety telecommunicators, private security officers and private investigators, and fire service professionals.  

The Department has a biannual budget of over 60 million dollars and a workforce of more than 500 employees who work at the 235-acre Academy in Salem and at regional training sites across the state.

In addition to his 25 years of service with DPSST, Eriks has worked for a number of public safety agencies in Oregon and New Jersey.   Eriks began his fire service experience as a volunteer firefighter with Howell Township Fire Company #1 in Adelphia, N.J. and continues to serve his community today as a Deputy Chief with the City of Dallas Fire & EMS Department in Dallas, Oregon.

Eriks holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Fire Service Administration & Public Administration from Western Oregon University and a Master’s degree in Public Policy and Administration from Portland State University.  He is also a graduate of both the National Fire Academy Executive Fire Officer Program and the State & Local Leaders Program at the Mark O. Hatfield School of Government – Portland State University. 

Eriks is a member of a number of organizations including the North American Fire Training Directors Association (NAFTD), the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC), Western Fire Chiefs Association, Congressional Fire Service Institute (CFSI), and the Oregon Fire Chiefs Association (OFCA). Eriks has served on the Executive Board of NAFTD for ten years, of which four was as the organization’s President.  Eriks also serves on the FEMA Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) Program Advisory Committee, the Governor’s Fire Policy Committee, the Oregon School Safety Task Force and many other groups on a state and national basis.