Houston Fire Department Chief Officers Association

RUMOR CONTROL

It is easy for rumors and misinformation about the Chief Officers Association to spread quickly. We are committed to responding to rumors and providing accurate information from reliable sources. IT’S TIME TO STOP SPREADING RUMORS!

Do your part to stop the spread of rumors by taking three easy steps

Step 1: Find trusted sources (get it from the horse’s mouth if possible)

Step 2: Share the information from the trusted source

Step 3: Discourage others from spreading disinformation from unverified sources (ask them to fact-check)

Rumors that have been FACT CHECKED by the C.O.A.

Rumors as of 4-19-2023

The following rumors were discussed during a Zoom Meeting with Chief Pena and COA members on 4-14-2023

Fire Chief Sam Pena is leaving the department:

This rumor is false. Although the Fire Chief did acknowledge that he submitted an application for the Corpus Christie Fire Department, he stated that he is not currently seeking other employment opportunities and plans on remaining in his current position at least until the new mayor is elected and a new administration is appointed. Source: Fire Chief Sam Pena

If Chief Pena remains the Fire Chief under the next administration, he will change the Command Staff.

All positions are open. Anyone can apply for any position. Source: Fire Chief Sam Pena.

Chief Pena plans to eliminate trucks or consolidate districts:

This rumor cannot be ruled out. If there is any cut in the HFD budget, there will be a cut in services because 90% of the budget is personnel costs. Source: Fire Chief Sam Pena.

We are going to a 56-hour work week:

This rumor cannot be ruled out because all issues can be on the table in binding arbitration. Source: Fire Chief Pena.

The Reed Hood is coming back.

This rumor is false. We are staying with the current vendor. Source: Fire Chief Pena.

We are getting 2 sets of gear:

This rumor is true. Currently, the department is trying to secure funding for a second set of fire gear for all firefighters in suppression. Source: Fire Chief Sam Pena

Rumors as of 12-6-2022

The following rumors were discussed in person on December 5, 2022

Is it true that the COA was created to take over bargaining rights and the department?

The Chief Officers Association was created to develop Chiefs, and Officers in leadership, management, and education. The COA has not requested to become the department’s bargaining agent.

Is the department planning to go to 3 shifts?

There is no plan to go to 3 shifts. The 3-shift model was examined last year but was not implemented. Changing the shift would take 1 ½ years to implement. Currently, there is no directive to change the current shift schedule. (Source: Fire Chief Pena)

Is the department delaying promotional exams at any division/rank?

There has been no previous, current, or future plan to delay promotional exams for any division or rank. The department has been scheduling promotional exams regularly and have been promoting within 90 days of all vacancies. (Source: Fire Chief Pena)

Is there any plan to civilianize the Fire Prevention division?

The department has no strategic plan to civilianize the Fire Prevention division. There is no plan to replace classified positions with civilians. All Inspector positions are protected by the Civil Service, and any change would have to be requested through City Council. The department is experimenting with the idea of supplementing the inspections with qualified civilians. The subcontractors would perform lower-level inspections only. At the present time, there is no plan to supplement the inspections with subcontractors. (Source: Fire Chief Pena)

Are city business requests not being approved evenly across ranks?

This requires further research. The COA and Fire Chief Pena have agreed to work together to identify what training courses (or preparingtexas.org courses) the department considers a benefit to the city to receive priority approval for everyone. Both sides agreed to explore how to better manage the requests for city business across all ranks to ensure both labor and management personnel have equal access to city business for professional development. (Source: Fire Chief Pena)

Is the department pursuing criminal charges against an Officer and/or a Driver?

No, the department is not pursuing criminal charges. Despite what may have transpired in a recent post-accident interview, the Fire Chief agrees that criminal charges are not what the fire department should be engaged in or talked about. The focus should be directed at reducing accidents and improving safe driving practices (Source: Fire Chief Pena)

Do your part to stop the spread of rumors by taking three easy steps

Rumors that have been FACT CHECKED by the C.O.A.

Rumors as of 4-19-2023

Rumors as of 12-6-2022

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