Fire Chief

The Position

The City of Fort Worth seeks a collaborative, decisive, and data-driven leader to serve as its next Fire Chief. Operating within a Council-Manager form of government, the Fire Chief is a key member of the executive leadership team, reporting to an Assistant City Manager and partnering closely with the City Manager's Office and other City departments such as the Office of the Medical Director, Emergency Management and Communications, the Fort Worth Lab, and the City Attorney's Office.

The Fire Chief leads a department of over 1,700 personnel serving more than one million residents. The Chief oversees traditional fire suppression, technical rescue, disaster response, and a newly integrated Emergency Medical Services (EMS) operation. Following the July 2025 transition of private ambulance service into the Fort Worth Fire Department (FWFD), the agency is evolving into a blended Fire and EMS department backed by strong leadership, support from the City Manager's Office and community commitment. Today, the workforce comprises approximately 1,100 dual-role firefighters and just under 600 single-role EMS professionals staffing City ambulances. Key priorities include continuing the operational, cultural, and facility integration of ambulance service into the Fort Worth Fire Department, while planning and evaluating the need for new capital infrastructure for the growing city.

Directing daily and long-range operations, the Chief plans, administers, and evaluates departmental programs, processes, and standards. The role carries full responsibility for policy administration, professional standards, and compliance with federal, state, and local laws, codes, and regulations, as well as monitoring the departmental data that guides deployment decisions. The Chief is responsible for the Fire Department’s financial performance, which includes annual budget development and monthly revenue and expenditure forecasting for operating and capital budgets.

The Chief manages labor relations in close coordination with the Fort Worth Professional Firefighters Association, serves on the City's Collective Bargaining team, and monitors compliance with contractual commitments. Additionally, the Chief supervises personnel directly and through subordinate commanders, overseeing work assignments, performance evaluations, staff training, workplace health and safety, policy compliance, and hiring, disciplinary, and termination decisions or recommendations.

As the public face of FWFD, the Chief communicates regularly with the Mayor, City Council, boards, commissions, and community groups. Regionally, the Chief oversees EMS delivery to 13 neighboring municipalities, county and statewide mutual aid agreements, frequently deploying specialized FWFD disaster response teams for wildfires, tornadoes, flooding, and major emergencies.

Qualifications

Minimum requirements include a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university in fire science, public administration, or a closely related field, and eight years of increasingly responsible command and supervisory experience in an organized fire department (including fire suppression, EMS, technical rescue, disaster response, strategic planning, multi-fund budgeting, and grant management), with four years of administrative and supervisory experience.

Preferred qualifications include leadership within a blended Fire and EMS agency or municipal ambulance system (including pre-hospital medicine regulations, credentialing compliance, and Medical Director partnership), executive experience in a Council-Manager government, and unionized labor experience managing collective bargaining agreements and labor relations. Strong financial and budgetary acumen (managing overtime, cost efficiencies, capital infrastructure planning, and state, federal, and research grants), experience managing regional and statewide mutual aid agreements, and a record of leading process improvements, professional standards, and disciplinary systems in a large, diverse agency are also preferred.

Compensation and Benefits

The expected hiring range is $220,000 - $250,000, depending on qualifications. The City of Fort Worth offers an excellent benefits package. Benefits offered include the following: group hospitalization medical plans, life, accidental death and dismemberment (AD&D), and short-term and long-term disability insurance; participation in the City of Fort Worth defined benefit pension system; Deferred Retirement Option Plan (DROP); holiday, vacation, sick, family sick, parental, and military leave; flexible spending accounts (FSA) and health savings accounts (HSA); Employee Assistance Program (EAP); tuition reimbursement; and credit union membership.

How to Apply

Applications will be accepted electronically by Raftelis at raftelis.com. Applicants complete a brief online form and are prompted to provide a cover letter and resume. The position will be open until filled with a first review of applications beginning December 1, 2026.