Houston Mayor John Whitmire held a press conference Friday afternoon to introduce the city’s new Fire Department Chief, Thomas Muñoz, will replace current chief Sam Peña.
– Houston Mayor John Whitmire held a press conference Friday afternoon to introduce the city’s new Fire Department Chief, Thomas Muñoz, who will replace current ChiefMayor Whitmire cited Muñoz’s work in previous natural disasters across the Houston area, including the Kingwood floods, the Derecho and Hurricane Beryl. He also doubled down on the claims that he gave city officials six months to “prove themselves” prior to the personnel change.
“It is my commitment to you and this city to ensure that we are the best in the world,” he said. “It is my commitment to the firefighters and the residents of Houston that I will work diligently to ensure not only the safety of our members, but the safety of the public.”Peña a 28-year veteran has been chief of the Houston Fire Department since Dec. 19, 2016. Over his tenure he led the third-largest municipal fire department in the country with more than 3,000 personnel.
Muñoz was at the center of a bitter legal fight between the union and his former boss, Mayor Sylvester Turner. The lengthy battle impacted Peña’s reputation with the union and firefighters creating morale issues within the ranks.According to the HFD website, Peña completed his paramedic training at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center EMS Division in 1998.
Peña holds a Bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and a Master’s in Business Administration from the University of Texas at El Paso, and served four years as a command and control specialist in the U.S. Air Force. Peña has membership in the International Association of Fire Chiefs; IAFC Terrorism and Homeland Security Committee; Metropolitan Fire Chiefs Association, National Fire Protection Association and the National Association of Search and Rescue.Michael is a Kingwood native who loves shooting hoops, visiting local breweries and overreacting to Houston sports. He joined the KPRC family in the spring of 2024. He earned his B.A. from Texas A&M University in 2022 and his M.A.
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