Who's Hiring Houston's Displaced Firefighters?

HOUSTON -- Within the last month, the City of Houston has laid off 220 firefighters and demoted more than 400 others in the wake of the Proposition B fight between Mayor Sylvester Turner and the Houston Professional Firefighters Association.

The first 67 fire cadets were notified on April 4 that they would lose their jobs. Their last with HFD is June 7.

Two weeks later, the city council voted to lay off 220 HFD firefighters with their last day being June 30.

RELATED STORY: City Laying Off 67 Firefighters, 47 City Employees Over Prop B

So where are these firefighters going?

Some are applying at other firefighting agencies around the Houston area.

Some area fire departments HFD firefighters are looking at include:

• CyFair
• Conroe
• Pasadena
• Sugar Land
• Spring
• Baytown
• Katy
• Klein
• The Woodlands
• Aldine
• Galena Park, and many others

The Richmond Fire Department in Fort Bend County has heard from some of those displaced HFD firefighters and has some openings at their fire department.

“...we have had several inquiries and do offer some options to HFD employees that were laid off or demoted,” Fire Chief Mike Youngblood said. “We currently have four positions open.”

RELATED STORY: Houston Lays Off 220 Firefighters

The Tomball Fire Department has also received a few inquiries from displaced HFD firefighters, but they don’t have spots to fill at their station houses.

“We have received several phone calls but our roster is full at this time,” Tomball Fire Chief Randy Parr said. “I wish we were hiring for Station 4 but that is not the case. I really feel for those folks.”

Tracee Evans, communications director for the Spring Fire Department, said Spring has received a “significant number” of applications from displaced firefighters and the department, which has built a number of new stations in rent years, may have a place for some of them as the department continues its rapid growth.

“Our plan is to staff all stations 24/7, 365,” she said.

It’s still early in the process, and Evans said a board of qualified chiefs will be the ones who choose those who are most qualified.

Still, some of those firefighters may also be looking at leaving the Houston area altogether.

According to the website for the Texas Municipal League, the jobs for firefighters are slim to none, with only 11 listed statewide.

However, the Texas Commission on Fire Protection has a more comprehensive list of job openings for firefighters in Houston and in Texas. To see the list of jobs for firefighters in Texas, click here.