A fifth generation Texan who has spent the last 12 years in Arizona feels like he’s back home.
College Station’s new fire chief, Jonathan McMahan, was officially sworn in Friday afternoon.
McMahan, whose firefighting career began in 1989 northeast of Dallas in Hunt County and attended the Texas A&M fire training school, moved here from a chief’s position covering suburban Tucson that includes the University of Arizona.
Since starting on Monday, McMahan says he’s been working until 9 p.m. in order to visit firefighters at College Station’s six fire stations.
Click below for comments from Jonathan McMahan, visiting with reporters prior his swearing in ceremony.
‘
Additional information from a city of College Station news release 1/24/2017:
Jonathan McMahan is a fifth-generation Texan who comes to College Station from Rural Metro Fire Department in Tucson, Ariz., where he has been fire chief and regional director since 2013. His experience in the firefighting industry spans more than 25 years:
• 2013-2017: Fire Chief and Regional Director | Rural Metro FD, Tucson, Ariz.
• 2012-2013: Battalion Chief | Rural Metro FD, Tucson, Ariz.
• 2010-2012: Captain/Paramedic | Rural Metro FD, Tucson, Ariz.
• 2005-2010: Engineer/Paramedic | Rural Metro FD, Tucson, Ariz.
• 2003-2005: Firefighter/EMT | Rural Metro FD, Tucson, Ariz.
• 1996-2001: Firefighter/EMT/Training Captain | Curry County, Oregon
• 1989-1995: Firefighter/EMT/Fire Marshal | Caddo Mills, Texas
In addition to holding associate of applied science degrees in Paramedicine and Fire Science from Pima Community College (2008), McMahan earned a bachelor’s degree in Public Safety/Emergency Management (2010) and a master’s degree in Executive Fire Service Leadership (2012) from Grand Canyon University.
He is a graduate of the Executive Fire Officer Program from the National Fire Academy and holds Chief Fire Officer and Chief EMS Officer designations from the Center for Public Safety Excellence. He is scheduled to earn his doctorate in Organizational Culture from GCU in 2018.
“I’m overwhelmed with excitement,” McMahan said. “Coming home to Texas, coming to such a high-caliber city and organization — and with Texas A&M University and TEEX being local — I’m humbled and honored by this amazing opportunity.”
Chief McMahan is expected to begin in late February or early March.
“I’m thrilled with the response this opening received, and with all the talented fire professionals who expressed interest in it,” Templin said. “We had four top-notch finalists. Chief McMahan is an energetic and intellectual leader who will challenge our fire department to continue building on its already long list of achievements. I think he’ll make me a better leader, too.”
Chief McMahan will lead a department that has been under interim leadership since June 2016, when former Chief Eric Hurt retired after 35 years with CSFD. The duties have been handled during that time by 32-year department veteran Joe Don Warren.
“I owe a debt of gratitude to Chief Warren, who has led his department with the utmost professionalism these past seven months,” Templin said.
The College Station Fire Department is an accredited agency through the Commission on Fire Accreditation International. It is currently comprised of more than 150 highly trained men and women, and has a Fiscal Year 2017 budget of $16.85 million.