When Bobby Wiley joined Golden Triangle Polymers as the first Fire and Safety supervisor, he knew he was stepping into a role that would shape the Fire and Safety culture of an entire facility.
With more than two decades of fire safety and emergency response experience under his belt, Wiley brought with him a passion for people, procedures, and making sure everyone gets home safely.
“I’ve been in fire and safety 16 years and have a Bachelor in Fire Administration,” Wiley said. “It’s what I love. I’ve worked across Southeast Texas in refineries and chemical plants with many different processes. But getting to build a team and a culture from the ground up at Golden Triangle Polymers is special.”
Setting the Standard
As the plant is under construction, Wiley’s role is less about responding to emergencies and more about laying the groundwork that will ensure GTP is prepared for anything from day one.
“There are a lot of moving parts when you build a facility like this,” he said. “My job is making sure every one of those parts includes emergency response and safety. That means training, procedures, communication, equipment – all of it.”
He’s not doing it alone. Wiley has a team of five full-time Fire and Safety personnel, each with an average of 15 years of full-time Industrial Fire and Safety experience. Wiley is leading the development of the Emergency Response Team (ERT), ensuring the crew is highly trained, expertly equipped and ready long before the first product ever rolls off the line.
“We’ve got an incredible team coming together. We’ve hired experienced professionals who take this just as seriously as I do,” he said. “We’re already running drills, the team has completed 5,600 hours of training in 2025 and are scheduled for 6,800 hours in 2026, and the team is writing procedures that will keep our people safe for years to come.”
Groundwork to Growth
Wiley’s influence stretches far beyond the emergency response side. He’s also helping develop protocols around fire watch, hot work permitting, confined space entry, and countless other daily activities that require safety oversight.
“Everyone at GTP is willing to help with the whole process, so we can keep each other safe. That’s what we’re doing here,” Wiley said. “From operations to maintenance, from construction to commissioning, we’re building a culture where safety isn’t a box you check – it’s just how you work.”
His proactive mindset has helped shape everything from site access procedures to communications protocols and even employee onboarding.
“We want people to come here and feel confident,” Wiley said. “They need to know we’ve done the hard work ahead of time to make this a safe place to build a career.”
The Work is Personal
For Wiley, safety isn’t just part of the job – it’s deeply personal.
“I’ve seen what happens when things go wrong,” he said.
“I’ve had to respond to those calls; I’ve had to deliver the bad news. That’s why I’m so passionate about making sure we do it right from the start.”
When he’s not overseeing fire and safety operations at GTP, Wiley is a family man who enjoys spending time with his wife and son, lifting weights, and attending his son’s power lifting meets around Southeast Texas.
“I’m from here. I’ve raised my family here. That’s another reason I take this job so seriously,” he said. “This isn’t just a job site, it’s my home. These people are my neighbors.”