Saturday, June 21, 2025
  • Advertise
  • Submit Story Idea
  • Submit Event
Arlington Today Magazine
  • Home
  • Categories
    • Arlington News
    • Community
    • Commentary
    • Business and Education
    • Featured
    • People
    • Wellness
    • Scene
    • Design and Interiors
    • Uncategorized
  • Current Issue & Digital Archives
  • Join the Newsletter
  • Subscribe
  • Contact Us
  • Login
  • Register
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Categories
    • Arlington News
    • Community
    • Commentary
    • Business and Education
    • Featured
    • People
    • Wellness
    • Scene
    • Design and Interiors
    • Uncategorized
  • Current Issue & Digital Archives
  • Join the Newsletter
  • Subscribe
  • Contact Us
No Result
View All Result
Arlington Today Magazine
Home Arlington News

Bret Stidham Appointed as New Arlington Fire Chief and Director of Emergency Management

Susan Schrock

ArlingtonToday Magazine by ArlingtonToday Magazine
June 28, 2023
in Arlington News
0 0
0
Bret Stidham Appointed as New Arlington Fire Chief and Director of Emergency Management
0
SHARES
182
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
Kos-Danchak Aug 2020

City Manager Trey Yelverton has appointed Bret Stidham, a 30-year professional firefighter with Dallas Fire-Rescue, as the City of Arlington’s new fire chief and director of emergency management.

Stidham has served as second-in-command with Dallas Fire-Rescue since 2019 and was assistant fire chief of emergency operations and special operations there for two years prior. On Aug. 7, Stidham will begin leading Arlington’s 399-person Fire Department and 113-person 911 Dispatch Center. Assistant Fire Chief Jonathan Ingols will continue to serve as the department’s interim fire chief until then.

Related posts

DeepDive

Welcome to our new “Deep Dive” audiomag!

June 8, 2025
MaverickStadium

Off the Beaten Track: Finding Gold and Good Times at Maverick Stadium

June 2, 2025

Following Fire Chief Don Crowson’s announcement that he was retiring after a 40-year career, nearly 50 public safety professionals from across the country applied for the role. Earlier this month, Stidham and four other fire chief candidates engaged in a series of panel interviews that included a diverse group of the City’s executive leadership team, Arlington Professional Fire Fighters Association representatives, and business leaders. They also participated in a forum where community members were able to ask the candidates questions directly.

“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,” Yelverton said.

Stidham said he is looking forward to beginning his career in Arlington, which is home to nearly 400,000 residents and draws more than 14 million visitors each year.

“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,” said Stidham, who said he grew up in North Texas and has visited Arlington for Rangers and Cowboys games, days at Six Flags Over Texas and other activities throughout his life. “This is a fire chief’s dream job, to be honest.”

Stidham’s experience includes 15 years instructing firefighters at Tarrant County College, Collin College and Dallas Fire-Rescue as well as serving as rescue team manager for Texas Task Force 1 and Texas Task Force 2. He has many years of operational experience running multiple large incidents and management teams, including a federal medical station that treated Covid-19 patients and a mass vaccination site that provided more than 30,000 Covid-19 vaccinations during the pandemic. In 2018, he was appointed Deputy Chief of Operations for the State of Texas during Hurricane Harvey and was embedded with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Incident Support Team and the Houston Fire command staff, managing operations for all rescue personnel.

Stidham said he saw a “tremendous spirit among the men and women that work at the Arlington Fire Department” when touring several of the City’s fire stations during the interview process.

“You can see the passion they have for the department, for the city, and the fire service,” Stidham said. “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.”

Stidham holds numerous certifications, including being a Texas Fire Chiefs Association Certified Fire Executive. In addition to graduating as a rescue specialist from Texas A&M University, Stidham holds an Associate of Applied Science in fire administration from Weatherford College, a Bachelor of Applied Arts and Sciences in fire administration from Texas A&M University-San Antonio, and a Master of Public Affairs from the University of Texas at Dallas.

Tags: ArlingtonFire DepartmentGovernment
DeepDive

Follow Us

    The Instagram Access Token is expired, Go to the Customizer > JNews : Social, Like & View > Instagram Feed Setting, to refresh it.
  • Soon-to-open Mansfield H-E-B causes shopping frenzy

    Soon-to-open Mansfield H-E-B causes shopping frenzy

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Gregory “Pappy” Boyington

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • All Star Voting 2024

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • 12 Mighty Orphans: There’s a fascinating ‘story behind the story’ regarding this fine film

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Local moms share what makes the day special to them

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0

Arlington Texas Area News and Events Magazine

Follow us on social media:

Recent News

  • Community Vertacat Handicap Cart Fundraiser
  • 60th Annual Independence Day Parade
  • Welcome to our new “Deep Dive” audiomag!

Category

  • Arlington News
  • Business and Education
  • Commentary
  • Community
  • Design and Interiors
  • Featured
  • People
  • Scene
  • Sports
  • Uncategorized
  • Wellness

Recent News

Community Vertacat Handicap Cart Fundraiser

Community Vertacat Handicap Cart Fundraiser

June 18, 2025
60th Annual Independence Day Parade

60th Annual Independence Day Parade

June 18, 2025
  • Advertise
  • Submit Story Idea
  • Submit Event

© 2023 Arlington Today - Designed by

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password? Sign Up

Create New Account!

Fill the forms bellow to register

All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Add New Playlist

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Categories
    • Arlington News
    • Community
    • People
    • Commentary
    • Business and Education
    • Featured
    • Wellness
    • Scene
    • Design and Interiors
  • Current Issue & Digital Archives
  • Join the Newsletter
  • Contact Us

© 2023 Arlington Today - Designed by