[Press Conference: “Mayor Whitmire and New Houston Fire Chief Address Media”]
[00:00:19]
FOR ME TO ANNOUNCE NEXT FIRE CHIEF FOR THE HOUSTON FIRE DEPARTMENT.
I WANNA STOP AND FIRST THANK CHIEF PENA FOR HIS YEARS OF PUBLIC SERVICE, NOT ONLY IN HOUSTON, BUT CERTAINLY IN EL PASO.
WE APPRECIATE HIS COMMITMENT TO PUBLIC SAFETY, BUT I COULDN'T BE MORE EXCITED THAN TO PRESENT TOM MUNOZ.
TOM IS A LEADER AMONG LEADERS.
HE'S AN ALL STAR WHEN IT COMES TO PUBLIC SAFETY.
I'VE HAD THE, UH, OPPORTUNITY TO WORK WITH TOM THE LAST SEVEN MONTHS.
I'VE WATCHED HIM IN CHALLENGING SITUATIONS, DIRECT PEOPLE IN THE EMERGENCY CENTER, GIVE PEOPLE ASSIGNMENTS, HOLD 'EM ACCOUNTABLE, AND I'M CONVINCED HE WILL SOON BE THE GREATEST FIRE CHIEF IN AMERICA.
SIMPLY PUT, THIS IS NOT COMPLICATED.
EVERY MAYOR I'VE WORKED WITH IN THE LAST, CERTAINLY IN MY CAREER, NINE OF THEM PICK THEIR TEAM MEMBERS AND THAT'S WHAT I'M COMPLETING TODAY AS IT RELATES TO THE HOUSTON FIRE DEPARTMENT.
TOM COMES FROM WITHIN THE FIRE DEPARTMENT, HOUSTON FIRE, 24 YEARS AS A FIREFIGHTER, REACHING THE LEVEL AND LEADERSHIP OF ASSISTANT CHIEF.
HE'S ALSO WORKED A TOTAL OF OVER 30 YEARS IN PUBLIC SAFETY, CERTAINLY AS OUR HOMELAND SECURITY.
I'VE WORKED WITH TOM IN, UM, THE WINTER FREEZE.
WE DEALT IN THE LAKEWOOD UH, SHOOTING.
HE WORKED AND MADE SAFE IN THE BACKGROUND, THE NATIONAL COLLEGE FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP PLACE IN RESOURCES.
SOME RECOGNIZED SOME NOT TO MAKE CERTAIN THAT OUR GUESTS IN HOUSTON WERE SAFE, WORKED WITH HIM IN THE KINGWOOD FLOOD.
HE WAS ON OWN SITE WHEN WE WERE RESCUING PEOPLE IN KINGWOOD.
THE THE RICH SUDDEN INTENSE STORM TOM STAYS PREPARED AND CERTAINLY IN BARREL.
NOW LEMME TELL YOU WHAT, I'M LOOKING FOR THE BEST RUN FIRE DEPARTMENT IN THE NATION.
I COMMITTED TO HOUSTON AND SAID I WOULD MAKE HOUSTON SAFER.
I ACTUALLY SAID IN MY CAMPAIGN REPEATEDLY THAT I WOULD GIVE DEPARTMENT CHIEFS AND DIRECTORS SIX MONTHS TO SEE WHAT WE COULD BUILD A SUCCESSFUL DEPARTMENTS AND MAKE 'EM BETTER.
I WANT BETTER RECRUITING IN OUR FIRE DEPARTMENT FOR CERTAIN ON ALL HANDS ON DECK IN THE FIRE DEPARTMENT.
WE'RE SHORT ON FIRE EQUIPMENT.
SO WE'RE GONNA RECOUP, WE'RE GONNA PARTNER WITH THE PRIVATE SECTOR AND FOUNDATIONS TO GET MORE EMPHASIS.
DURING THIS RECENT STORM, 4%, ONLY 4% OF OUR AMBULANCES WERE AVAILABLE FOR CALLS.
I WATCHED TOM PICK UP THE PHONE, GET AHOLD OF THE STATE EMERGENCY CENTER, AND WE SOON HAD 25 ADDITIONAL AMBULANCES.
THAT'S WHAT I'M LOOKING FOR, OUR FACILITIES.
WE HAD 10 FIRE STATIONS CLOSED DURING THE RECENT STORM SHUT DOWN BECAUSE WE DIDN'T HAVE BACKUP POWER.
WE CANNOT HAVE FACILITIES LIKE THE KINGWOOD FIRE STATION.
THE KINGWOOD FIRE STATION WAS A VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT WHEN THE CITY TOOK OVER KINGWOOD AND THE RESPONSIBILITIES DURING THE KINGWOOD FLOODS.
I GO TO THE FIRE DEPARTMENT AND WE'VE GOT OUR HEROES IN A TRAILER THAT ONCE WAS A VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT HEADQUARTERS WITH PLYWOOD COVERING HOLES IN THE FLOOR, HOLES IN THE CEILING, THEY'RE SLEEPING ON THE FLOOR.
THAT'S NOT THE WAY WE TREAT OUR FIREFIGHTERS IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON.
SO I'M FIRED UP WITH TOM'S EXPERIENCE, HIS COMMITMENT, HIS LEADERSHIP SKILLS,
[00:05:01]
AND I WANT ALL HOUSTONIANS TO BE PROUD OF THE OPPORTUNITY TO BRING SOMEONE FROM THE EMERGENCY CENTER DIRECTORSHIP, HOMELAND SECURITY, TO WORK AROUND THE CLOCK WHILE HOUSTONIANS ARE WITH THEIR FAMILY, THEIR WORK, THEIR REST.WE'RE GONNA HAVE A FIRE CHIEF THAT IS FULLY PREPARED AND WILL ACCEPT NOTHING BUT THE BEST HE WILL BE IN VERY SOON TIME, RECOGNIZED AS THE GREATEST POLICE CHIEF, FIRE CHIEF IN THE UH, AMERICA.
TOM, I'M LUCKY TO HAVE YOU ON MY TEAM.
UM, THANK YOU FOR THIS GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO SERVE THIS GREAT CITY.
THANK YOU FOR THE TRUST THAT YOU'VE PUT IN ME AND ALSO WANT TO THANK THE MEMBERS OF THE HOUSTON FIRE DEPARTMENT FOR WHAT THEY DO EACH AND EVERY DAY.
IT IS MY COMMITMENT TO YOU AND TO THE CITY TO ENSURE THAT WE ARE THE BEST IN THE WORLD.
IT IS MY COMMITMENT TO THE FIREFIGHTERS, TO THE RESIDENTS OF HOUSTON THAT I WILL WORK DILIGENTLY TO ENSURE NOT ONLY THE SAFETY OF OUR MEMBERS, BUT THE SAFETY OF THE PUBLIC.
AND I'LL ENSURE THE MEMBERS OF THE HOUSTON FIRE DEPARTMENT THAT MY EVERY DAY I WILL WAKE UP TO ENSURE THAT WE GIVE YOU ALL THE SUPPORT WE NEED.
AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I'VE NOW TOLD EVERY TIME I TALK TO SOMEONE IS, WE GOT YOU.
AND THOSE ARE THE THINGS THAT I'M LOOKING FOR.
WE DO HAVE A LOT OF WORK TO DO.
AS THE MAYOR HAS MENTIONED, I FEEL VERY CONFIDENT THAT WE'RE GONNA REACH THOSE GOALS, THE STRATEGIC GOALS THAT WE'RE GONNA SET IN PLACE TO MAKE SURE THAT THIS FIRE DEPARTMENT IS THE BEST IN THE WORLD, THE BEST IN THE COUNTRY.
AND AGAIN, I'M EXTREMELY HUMBLED FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY TO LEAD THIS FIRE DEPARTMENT.
I'M NOT SURPRISED THAT TOM WANTS TO BE THE BEST IN THE WORLD.
I WAS TRYING TO BE THE BEST IN AMERICA.
UH, COUNCIL MEMBER PECK, OUR CHAIRMAN OF PUBLIC SAFETY JOINS ME TODAY.
SO, UM, I'M READY TO GO TO WORK.
SO ANY QUESTIONS? QUESTION FOR BOTH OF YOU.
HOW DO YOU ADDRESS THE SHORTFALL OF FIREFIGHTERS GIVEN THE HUNDREDS OF OPENINGS THAT YOU CURRENTLY HAVE AND CAN'T BILL TOM? IT'S ABOUT NOT ACCEPTING ANYTHING LESS AND WE'RE GOING TO IMPROVE THE MORALE OF OUR FIREFIGHTERS HISTORICALLY.
YOU GOT TO UNDERSTAND, I'VE REPRESENTED HOUSTON LEGISLATURE FOR 50 YEARS, VERY CLOSE TO FIREFIGHTERS.
SO MANY FIREFIGHTERS CAME OUTTA MY LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT, MIDDLE CLASS COMMUNITY BECAME CITY EMPLOYEES, FIREFIGHTERS, POLICE, THE BEST RECRUITER.
ARE YOUR CURRENT OFFICERS THE BEST RECRUITER FOR CITY EMPLOYEES, BUT CERTAINLY FIRST RESPONDERS? FIREFIGHTERS, AS WE'RE SPEAKING OF TODAY, IS THE CURRENT FIREFIGHTERS ASKING THEIR RELATIVES, NEIGHBORS, NEPHEWS TO JOIN THIS DEPARTMENT.
IT WAS SOMETHING THAT PEOPLE WERE EXCITED.
I RECENTLY TALKED THIS SPRING TO A CADET CLASS THAT HAD 31 31 CADETS.
WE USED TO HAVE 3000 OR MORE PEOPLE APPLY FOR A CADET CLASS.
NOW YOU MIGHT HAVE A COUPLE OF HUNDRED AND YOU GO THROUGH THE SCREENING AND YOU END UP WITH 31 CADETS.
AND EVEN IF YOU TALK TO THE CADETS COMING OUTTA HOUSTON FIRE TODAY, THEIR PLANS ARE TO GO TO ADJOINING JURISDICTIONS.
THE MORALE WAS AT AN ALL TIME LOW.
CERTAINLY WE SIGNED A CONTRACT, GOT 'EM A BENEFIT PACKAGE.
BUT IT'S THE WORKING ENVIRONMENT.
THEY WANT PEOPLE TO KNOW THAT THEY'RE APPRECIATED.
THEY DO STUFF THAT I'VE WATCHED THEM IN RESCUE EFFORTS.
PEOPLE GET STUCK IN AN ELEVATOR CAR ACCIDENTS.
THEY PROTECT HPD WHILE THEY'RE INVESTIGATING A FREEWAY ACCIDENT.
OUR BEST RECRUITER IS MORALE AND IT'S CLIMBING.
AS I TALK TO YOU RIGHT NOW, ALL THANK Y'ALL FOR BEING HERE.
DO YOU MIND SPEAKING IN SPANISH? YOU HAVE A FEW WORDS IN SPANISH.
AND I DON'T KNOW WHY MYSELF HAVE UNDER STANDING RIGHT HERE TO DO.
SIR, ARE YOU GOING? I'M GONNA LET, I'M GONNA LET TOM DO IT.
[00:10:13]
THANK YOU FOR THAT REMINDER.