March 24--El Paso's new fire chief wants to make sure the Fire Department keeps up with the city's growth, reaches out to neighboring volunteer departments and recruits more female firefighters.
Sam Pena, 43, recently discussed leading the department that traces its history to 1882.
Pena was named chief earlier this month and officially took over his new job last week. He replaces former Fire Chief Otto Drozd III, who left in November to take a job in Florida.
"When I came into this position, I found out the department is actually in good shape," Pena said. "It's not in disarray. The challenge to me now is to take a good department and moving it forward and creating a better department."
El Paso's fire chief had always
been picked from inside the department until 2009 with the selection of Drozd, who came to El Paso from the Miami suburb of Hialeah.
Drozd had more than 20 years of experience, including eight years as a fire chief. He had a master's degree in management, a bachelor's in public management and associate degrees in business and fire science.
Joe Tellez, president of the El Paso Association of Firefighters, said the selection of Pena was applauded by many firefighters because the new chief was promoted from within the department.
"There was a good pool of candidates, and the best thing about it -- it was a local candidate," Tellez said. "They promoted from within. Sam is a young charismatic guy, and he has his eyes on the
future."
Tellez said some of the challenges that Pena will face are budgetary limitations while making sure the department keeps up with a growing city.
Pena has been with the Fire Department for more than 17 years. He started as a firefighter and rose through the ranks to assistant chief. He had been the training chief in charge of the fire academy, a media spokesman and a paramedic, and had the title of advanced medical coordinator.
City Manager Joyce Wilson had said that Pena's experience in both medical and firefighting fields set him apart from the six other finalists. The candidates were interviewed by several panels in the selection process.
As chief, Pena will be paid $135,000 a year.
Pena was born in Los Angeles. He was about 3 years old when his parents, Ricardo and Leticia Pena, moved to El Paso. His father was in the Army and had been assigned to Fort Bliss. Pena graduated from Austin High School in 1987.
Pena has a bachelor's degree in criminal justice from the University of Texas at El Paso and served four years as an air-control specialist with the U.S. Air Force. Having a wife and a young son, Pena said, he decided to leave the Air Force and return to El Paso in 1994. They have two sons and a grandson.
"If I told you that I always wanted to be a firefighter, I would not be being truthful with you," Pena said before laughing.
"The truth is when I was getting out of the Air Force, I needed to find a job. So I came and I applied with the city, and the Fire Department was the first city department to call. Seventeen and a half years later, it's worked out great."
Pena now oversees a department that has 855 uniformed employees, has more than 70,000 emergency calls a year and has a top insurance rating.
Pena said the department is already working to keep up with growth. A 50-member class is set to graduate from the training academy next month. The newest station, Fire Station No. 37, is scheduled to open in August on Edgemere Boulevard at RC Poe Road near El Dorado High School.
Pena said he also wants to help improve fire protection by working with neighboring fire departments.
"We have several volunteer fire departments in the county that surround the city of El Paso, and we haven't taken advantage of that opportunity there in building those relationships," Pena said.
Pena said that another goal is the recruitment of more female firefighters. The department has 15 female firefighters.
"We have Fort Bliss available, and that's a huge demographic that we haven't really targeted," Pena said. "The goal is to get a larger number of women applying to the recruit class."
Pena might not have always wanted to be a firefighter, but El Paso's new fire chief found that firefighting is a rewarding profession.
"This is one of the few jobs where you really get to make an impact on a daily basis in the betterment of people's lives," Pena said. "You make the calls, you make the runs. You get summoned because somebody needs assistance.
"The feeling is almost indescribable," he said. "It's a great feeling and satisfaction to be able to serve in that capacity to make a difference in people's lives. Very few times do you go home from a shift and not feel that you've accomplished something."
Daniel Borunda may be reached at [email protected]; 546-6102. Follow him on Twitter @BorundaDaniel
Copyright 2013 - El Paso Times, Texas
