Houston Fire Chief Samuel Peña was fired by Mayor John Whitmire and will be replaced by current Emergency Management Coordinator Thomas Muñoz, the mayor’s office announced Friday.
“(Muñoz) is experienced, knowledgeable, and widely respected,” Whitmire said in a statement. “I have worked alongside him during the flooding in Kingwood, the derecho, Hurricane Beryl, and the winter freeze. I am confident that Chief Muñoz is the best person to lead the City’s fire department at this time.”
Muñoz previously worked for the Houston Fire Department for 24 years, overseeing Homeland Security, Public Affairs and HAZMAT, and retired as an assistant chief. He also serves as acting director of the Mayor’s Office of Public Safety and Homeland Security.
“I am committed to taking care of the residents of Houston, which must begin with taking care of the men and women of the Houston Fire Department,” Muñoz said in a statement. “The work we do today will have a lasting impact for years to come, and I know that with this administration, we can improve the safety of all residents and future generations.”
News of Peña’s ouster broke Friday morning when KPRC reported Whitmire had announced the firing during a telephone interview with the news station.
Peña then texted the station that he had not had a conversation with the mayor about his termination and replacement.
The city thanked Peña for his “years of dedicated service” to the department in a statement issued a little over an hour after KPRC’s story was posted online.
In a text Friday afternoon, Peña said he will issue a statement “at a later time. For now, all I can say is that I’m proud of the work we’ve done.”
Peña’s firing after leading the department since 2016 removes a chief who long has butted heads with HFD’s firefighters’ union throughout a drawn-out contract dispute that finally was resolved in June with City Council’s approval of a $1.5 billion labor contract and back-pay settlement.
In 2019, more than 3,000 members of the union signed a “no confidence” resolution against Peña, criticizing his leadership of the department.
In a Friday morning statement, the union said it supports Whitmire’s decision, and said firefighters have endured “lackluster leadership for years” but did not name Peña.
“Muñoz’s appointment is a breath of fresh air that signals we are finally on the road to restoring HFD to its rightful status as a world-class fire department,” union President Marty Lancton wrote. “Finally, we can expect acknowledgement and support for our dedication and sacrifices.”
In a telephone interview Friday afternoon, Lancton said the rank-and-file of the department supports Whitmire’s decision to fire Peña, pointing to problems with understaffing, high response times and multiple fire stations in disrepair.
In the aftermath of Hurricane Beryl, 10 HFD fire stations had to be temporarily closed because they lost power from the storm but did not have functioning generators, Whitmire said at the time.
“It’s not personal, but at the end of the day we have critical issues that have to be addressed,” Lancton said.
In a news conference Friday afternoon, Whitmire said he gave all department heads six months from his taking office to show improvement in each of their departments. The fire department has continued to be plagued with staffing shortages and firehouse maintenance issues, he said, citing the 10 stations closed during Beryl as an example.
The mayor said he expects Muñoz to turn HFD into the best fire department in the nation.
“We’re going to have a fire chief that is fully prepared and accepts nothing but the best,” Whitmire said.
Former Houston Police Department Chief Art Acevedo said Peña was a great partner during his time leading HPD from 2016 to 2021.
“I had the honor of witnessing his tireless efforts during what was arguably one of the toughest periods in Houston’s history,” Acevedo wrote in a social media post. “Chief Pena served with distinction for 8 years, always answering the alarm with dedication.”
Peña was brought in to lead the Houston Fire Department by former Mayor Sylvester Turner in 2016, after working as fire chief in El Paso.
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