Dallas Hires New Fire-Rescue Chief
David Coatney is a U.S. Army veteran who grew up in Seattle. He was a police officer before switching to the fire service and during his career has worked in fire suppression, emergency medical services, special operations, training, emergency management, and homeland security.
The city of Dallas, which ranks ninth in the United States according to population, has chosen its new fire chief. City Manager A.C. Gonzalez on June 6 named David Coatney, former chief of the Round Rock (Texas) Fire Department, as Dallas Fire-Rescue chief. Coatney also served in the San Antonio Fire Department for more than 25 years.
"We have an incredible group of leaders within Dallas Fire-Rescue, and I'm confident that David Coatney's background of service will be a tremendous asset to the city of Dallas," Gonzalez said.
Coatney is a U.S. Army veteran who grew up in Seattle. He was a police officer before switching to the fire service and during his career has worked in fire suppression, emergency medical services, special operations, training, emergency management, and homeland security. While with the San Antonio department, he was responsible for the direction of emergency responses to large-scale hazards, administration of Homeland Security grants, and he directed the Fire Suppression Division and designed and implemented a successful public education program to reduce fire deaths in the city.
"Throughout my career in San Antonio, I have worked with Dallas Fire-Rescue to evaluate and model various special operations programs and know the quality of work this department produces," he said. "I'm excited to be a part of the DFR team and am looking forward to continue moving the department forward with the leadership in place."
He will join the department July 13.