{"id":1022355,"date":"2026-08-25T03:45:34","date_gmt":"2026-08-25T03:45:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/1022355\/"},"modified":"2026-08-25T03:45:34","modified_gmt":"2026-08-25T03:45:34","slug":"fort-worth-fire-department-gets-new-interim-chief","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/1022355\/","title":{"rendered":"Fort Worth Fire Department gets new interim chief"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Scott Nishimura, Fort Worth Report
August 24, 2026<\/p>\n

Fort Worth City Manager Jay Chapa is appointing James Horton to be interim fire chief while the city searches for a new fire chief.<\/p>\n

Horton, an assistant chief in the department, will take over as interim chief Aug. 31, the same day Raymond Hill retires. Hill became the interim chief in October last year,<\/a> stepping in after fire chief Jim Davis resigned.<\/p>\n

Fort Worth City Council members will vote Tuesday on the appointment.<\/p>\n

The announcement comes amid contract negotiations between the city and the Fort Worth Professional Firefighters Local 440<\/a>. The 440 said in mid-July it had reached an impasse<\/a> with the city in the talks.<\/p>\n

Horton\u2019s nearly three-decade career has spanned fire operations, administration, fire prevention and investigation, emergency medical services, strategic planning and organizational growth.<\/p>\n

Horton was deputy fire chief from 2022 to September 2025.<\/p>\n

He served on the executive committee overseeing the integration of MedStar\u2019s ambulance services into the fire department.<\/a> He helped secure $34.4 million in the city\u2019s 2026 bond program to construct a new fire station in a high-growth area and replace an existing one. Horton also served on a staffing committee that resulted in adding 70 new sworn firefighter positions and six new civilian positions.<\/p>\n

Horton holds a doctorate in urban and public administration from the University of Texas at Arlington; a master\u2019s degree in public administration from the University of North Texas; and a bachelor\u2019s degree in emergency management and disaster planning from UNT. He joined the Fort Worth Fire Department in 1998.<\/p>\n

Editor\u2019s note: This story was updated at 7:40 p.m. Aug. 24 with James Horton\u2019s biographical information provided by the city of Fort Worth.<\/p>\n

Scott Nishimura is senior editor for local government accountability and a Fort Worth City Hall reporter at the Fort Worth Report. Reach him at scott.nishimura@fortworthreport.org.<\/p>\n

At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

This <a target=”_blank” href=”https:\/\/fortworthreport.org\/2026\/08\/24\/fort-worth-fire-department-gets-new-interim-chief\/”>article<\/a> first appeared on <a target=”_blank” href=”https:\/\/fortworthreport.org”>Fort Worth Report<\/a> and is republished here under a <a target=”_blank” href=”https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nd\/4.0\/”>Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License<\/a>.<img src=”https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/fortworthreport.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/cropped-favicon.png?resize=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1″ style=”width:1em;height:1em;margin-left:10px;”><\/p>\n

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