Samuel Peña

Samuel Peña is a 24-year veteran of the fire service and has been chief of the Houston Fire Department (HFD) since December 19, 2016. Chief Peña leads one of the largest municipal fire departments in the country, with approximately 4,000 personnel and an annual budget of over $490 million. He previously served over 3 years as fire chief in El Paso, Texas.

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 holds a Bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and an 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.

Memberships: International Association of Fire Chiefs; Metropolitan Fire Chiefs Association, National Fire Protection Association (NFPA); National Association of Search and Rescue.

Prior to Pena’s appointment, Assistant Fire Chief Rodney West was acting Interim Fire Chief following Chief Terry Garrison who accepted another position in his home town of Glendale, Arizona in October of 2015.