Here are the finalists for the next Dallas Fire-Rescue chief

DALLAS — The city of Dallas has named four candidates to be the next leader of Dallas Fire-Rescue. 

The announcement of the top four finalists on Friday comes after the city opened a local regional search for the top job at DFR in February. 

The city selected the top four candidates from a group of 32 applicants, including current and former fire chief and executives. 

“Dallas Fire-Rescue is a leader in the nation with innovative programs that provide emergency and medical services for all of whom we serve,” said Dallas City Manager Kimberly Bizor Tolbert. “DFR contributes to making Dallas one of the safest large cities in the country, and I am certain we have finalists who can continue to propel it forward.”  

The candidates will meet with the city council from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. on April 3, followed by meetings with stakeholders from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. 

Here are the candidates:

Justin Ball has served as interim fire chief since June of 2024 after former Dallas Fire-Rescue chief Dominique Artis was appointed to serve as the city’s first Chief of Public Safety.

Originally from England, he’s worked for Dallas Fire-Rescue since the start of his fire service career in 1997. During his time at DFR, he’s served in various roles from firefighter paramedic to field deputy chief, executive deputy chief, assistant chief and executive assistant chief of operations.

Ball headed up DFR’s fire response, EMS, Special Operations, Communications and Safety divisions and spearheaded initiatives like the department’s Stop the Bleed Program. He was also involved in leading the response and recovery efforts after an EF-3 tornado tore through North Dallas in October 2019. 

He has a bachelor’s degree in Fire Administration from Texas A&M and maintains certifications as a Master Firefighter, ARFF, Fire Officer II, Fire Instructor II, Incident Commander, and Incident Safety Officer.

Tampa Fire Rescue Assistant Chief of Operations Todd Alt has worked for Tampa Fire Rescue since 2001.

Alt’s fire service career started in 1996 after he finished Fire Academy in Tampa, Florida. He volunteered as a firefighter while earning his Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) and Paramedic certifications.

Since joining Tampa Fire Rescue in 2001, Alt has served as a firefighter, rescue lieutenant, driver engineer, fire captain, district chief and division chief of personnel before working his way up to assistant chief. 

He has a Bachelor of Business Administration in Fire Science Management and a Master of Science in Management and a Doctor of Education in Organizational Leadership and Human Resources. 

Outside of his fire service role, Alt also serves as a faculty member at Hillsborough Community College and Columbia Southern University. 

Fort Worth Executive Assistant Fire Chief Raymond Hill has worked in fire service leadership for more than 30 years.

In his role as Executive Assistant Fire Chief of Training and Logistical Services for the Fort Worth Fire Department, he helps oversee the department’s $219 million budget. 

His fire service leadership experience includes oversight of training, operations, emergency management, communications, logistics, fire prevention, homeland security and community-risk reduction.

Hill has headed up several initiatives, including the Gear-1 PPE cancer mitigation program, Suburban 911 Dispatch, Apparatus Refurbishment Program and more.

Samuel Peña formerly served as fire chief in Houston and El Paso and currently works as the chief of disaster preparedness for the Harris County Engineering Department in Houston.

He led the Houston Fire Department, which has more than 4,000 staff members and a $490 million annual budget, for eight years from 2016 to 2024. He was named the Metropolitan Fire Chief of the Year in 2023.

Peña started his career with the El Paso Fire Department, where he worked for 21 years, working his way up the ranks, with his last three years there as fire chief.

He previously served as Task Force leader for the El Paso Hazardous Materials and Special Rescue teams; 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.

Peña has a Bachelor’s degree criminal justice and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Texas at El Paso. He also served four years as a command-and-control specialist in the U.S. Air Force.