HOUSTON, Texas – 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 Chief Sam Peña.
Mayor 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.
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“Tom is a leader among leaders,” Mayor Whitmire said. “He is an all-star when it comes to public safety... I am convinced he will soon be the greatest fire chief in America.”
Muñoz’s opening statement was short and sweet. He thanked Mayor Whitmire, the City of Houston and the members Houston Fire Department for the opportunity to serve as fire chief.
“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.”
Muñoz’s background
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.
He previously served three years and nine months as fire chief in El Paso, Texas.
According to the HFD website, Peña completed his paramedic training at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center EMS Division in 1998. He served previously as Task Force leader for the El Paso Hazardous Materials Team and Special Rescue team; coordinator for the combined search and rescue (ComSAR) mountain rescue team; Strategic Planning Chief, Public Information Office, Training Chief, and Assistant Chief of Emergency Operations. Chief Peña has served in the City of Houston Unified Command directing the Houston Fire Department assets during Hurricane Harvey, Tropical Storm Imelda, Tropical Storm Beta, Hurricane Nicholas, Winter Storm Uri, Super Bowl 51, World Series 2017, 2019, 2021, and the Watson Grinding explosion in 2020.
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.