The City of Arlington’s new fire chief and director of emergency management is Bret Stidham, Dallas Fire-Rescue’s second-in command.
Stidham will assume command of Arlington’s 399-person Fire Department and 113-person 911 Dispatch Center on Aug. 7. City officials said Assistant Fire Chief Jonathan Ingols will continue to serve as the department’s interim fire chief until that happens.
“Chief Stidham stood out in a very robust selection process and everyone we spoke with who had the chance to work with him in the City of Dallas had nothing but glowing remarks about his leadership, skills and ability to collaborate,” Arlington City Manager Trey Yelverton said in a statement Thursday.
Nearly 50 candidates applied for the job after Arlington Fire Chief Don Crowson announced he was retiring after a 40-year career. Earlier this month, Stidham and four other finalists were interviewed by a panel that included members of the city’s executive leadership team, the Arlington Professional Fire Fighters Association and business leaders. They also appeared at a public forum where Arlington residents could ask them questions directly.
Stidham said in the statement that he Is looking forward to beginning his career in Arlington.
“I feel like my 30-year career has led me to this moment. There’s a lot going on in Arlington — it’s a destination city and a city on the grow,” he said. “This is a fire chief’s dream job, to be honest.”
Stidham said that when he toured the city’s fire stations, he saw a “tremendous spirit among the men and women that work at the Arlington Fire Department.
“You can see the passion they have for the department, for the city, and the fire service,” Stidham said in the statement. “I’m very excited about this opportunity, getting out and meeting the men and women of the department, and listening. I’m looking forward to hitting the ground running.”
In a letter to Yelverton, Dallas Deputy City Manager Jon Fortune said that he had worked directly with Stidham and seen him help Dallas Fire-Rescue "provide the highest level of service to our community."
Fortune wrote that Stidham used his "experience and skills to effectively build great working relationships" within Dallas Fire-Rescue, with other city departments, elected officials and the community, and has "the focus, vision and ability to successfully lead any major U.S. city as fire chief."
Michael L. Walker, Oklahoma City's deputy fire chief of operations, wrote that he had worked with Stidham during Hurricane Harvey and the COVID pandemic and described him as "a consummate professional accompanied with a solution-seeking mindset."
Arlington’s new fire chief grew up in North Texas. In addition to his work with Dallas Fire-Rescue, he also taught firefighting at local community colleges and served as team manager for Texas Task Force 1 and Task Force 2. He ran a federal medical station that treated COVID patients and a mass vaccination site that provided more than 30,000 vaccinations during the pandemic. And he was the deputy chief of operations for the State of Texas during Hurricane Harvey.
He graduated as a rescue specialist from Texas A&M University. Stidham also has an associate degree in fire administration from Weatherford College, a bachelor's degree in fire administration from Texas A&M University-San Antonio, and a master’s degree in public affairs from the University of Texas at Dallas.
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