Four Finalists for Dallas Fire Chief Position Named

Dallas officials have narrowed the field of candidates for the city’s next fire chief to four people.

The city of Dallas on Friday named the finalists in its search for a new chief to lead Dallas Fire-Rescue, a department with a $430 million budget and a workforce of more than 2,000, including sworn firefighters, emergency medical personnel and civilian staff.

Dominique Artis, who led the department for roughly six years, stepped into a newly created interim role last June to oversee the city’s police, fire, municipal courts and emergency services. He was officially appointed to the position earlier this year.

The search for Artis’s successor — which is underway alongside the city’s hunt for a new police chief — officially began Feb. 14 and drew 32 applicants, the city said in a news release.

The four finalists each bring close to or more than 30 years of experience in fire service, including two currently in leadership roles at major Texas departments, as well as a former chief of the Houston Fire Department. One finalist is an assistant chief from Florida.

The finalists are: Todd Alt, an assistant chief with Tampa Fire Rescue in Florida; Justin Ball, who is currently serving as interim chief of Dallas Fire-Rescue; Raymond Hill, executive assistant chief with the Fort Worth Fire Department; and Samuel Peña, the former chief of the Houston Fire Department.

The four candidates were scheduled to meet with the Dallas City Council and stakeholders on Thursday, according to the city’s news release announcing the finalists.

Dallas City Manager Kimberly Bizor Tolbert said Dallas Fire-Rescue is a key part of the city’s public safety efforts. She added she was “certain we have finalists who can continue to propel it forward.”

Lt. Jeff Patterson, president of the Dallas Fire Fighters Association, reaffirmed the group’s support for Ball.

“We believe he is the best candidate for the job and is most familiar with our department,” Patterson said in a statement to The Dallas Morning News.

Both the city’s police and fire chief searches were conducted with the help of Public Sector Search and Consulting, a California-based firm that specializes in recruiting public safety executives.

Here is more about each finalist:

Todd Alt, Assistant Chief, Tampa Fire Rescue

Alt began his career in 1996 after completing training at a fire academy in Tampa. He currently serves as assistant chief at Tampa Fire Rescue, where he started in 2001 and rose through the ranks to become an assistant chief overseeing emergency operations and personnel.

Alt holds a bachelor’s degree in fire science management, a master’s degree in management, and a doctorate in organizational leadership and human resource development, according to a biography provided by the city.

In addition to his role at Tampa Fire Rescue, Alt is a faculty member at Hillsborough Community College and Columbia Southern University, his biography says.

Justin Ball, Interim Fire Chief, Dallas Fire-Rescue

Ball began his career with Dallas Fire-Rescue, then called the Dallas Fire Department, in 1997. In the past 27 years, he has risen through the ranks, reaching executive assistant chief of operations before becoming the interim chief in June.

Ball has led several initiatives at Dallas Fire-Rescue, including the department’s Stop the Bleed program, the Single Function Paramedic program and the Squad Relief program.

Ball holds a bachelor’s degree in fire administration from Texas A&M University and holds a number of fire certifications, including master firefighter. Originally from England, Ball has lived in Dallas for more than 30 years and “considers DFR his extended family,” his biography says.

Raymond Hill, Executive Assistant Chief, Fort Worth Fire Department

Hill has more than 30 years of fire service experience and serves as executive assistant chief of training and logistical services for the Fort Worth Fire Department, where he was first hired in 1994.

Hill has led several initiatives at the department, including a cancer mitigation program, upgrades to the dispatch system, equipment refurbishment efforts and leadership development programs, his biography says.

Hill holds a master’s degree in managerial science and a bachelor’s degree in communications.

Samuel Peña, Former Fire Chief, Houston Fire Department

Peña brings 28 years of fire service experience, starting in El Paso, where he spent two decades with the fire department and served as chief for his final three years.

He went on to lead the Houston Fire Department from 2016 until December 2024. He is currently the chief of disaster preparedness for the Harris County Engineering Department.

Peña served four years as a command-and-control specialist in the U.S. Air Force. He holds a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and a master of business administration from the University of Texas at El Paso, his biography says.