HOUSTON (Houston Chronicle) – Chief Terry Garrison, who led the Houston Fire Department through one of the darkest days in its history, is stepping down at the end of October to take the top spot at a fire department in suburban Phoenix.
HFD officials said Garrison has accepted an offer to be the fire chief of the Glendale Fire Department in Arizona.
“That’s his hometown,” said HFD Capt. Ruy Lozano.
The 57-year-old Garrison will assume his new position on Nov. 2.
“I am humbled and privileged to join this team and am looking forward toward an ongoing collaboration with city leadership, city management and — most importantly — the citizens of Glendale,” Garrison said in a statement released by his new employer.
In 2010, Mayor Annise Parker named Garrison Houston’s fire chief.
“I have enjoyed my time here in Houston and will always remember how well my family and I were embraced in this vibrant city,” he said in a statement.
Garrison’s tenure in Houston has been marked by major challenges, both personal and professional.
In 2013, after about two years on the job, Garrison announced that he would be stepping down to return to Phoenix and help care for his ailing grandson. But he decided to stay in Houston after a change in the boy’s medical care made it more logical to remain in the vicinity of the renowned Texas Medical Center.
On May 31, 2013, the HFD suffered its worst loss of life ever when a fire broke out at the former Southwest Inn along the Southwest Freeway near Hillcroft. Capt. Matthew Renaud, 35, engineer operator Robert Bebee, 41, firefighter Robert Garner, 29, and firefighter Anne Sullivan, 24, were killed while battling the blaze inside a restaurant adjoining the hotel. In addition, 15 firefighters were injured at the scene.
FRM/FFN Southwest Inn Fire Coverage
Garrison laid the blame on those at the Bhojan Vegetarian Restaurant inside the inn who smelled smoke about 9 a.m. but failed to call the fire department until three hours later when flames finally erupted.
Federal investigators agreed that not immediately reporting the smoldering fire was part of the problem. But, the construction of the building, heavy winds, personnel accountability, communication problems and a lack of an adequate fire sprinkler system also played a part, according to a later critical report.
During Garrison’s tenure as chief, several inspectors with the Houston Fire Marshal’s Office alleged they had been ordered not to issue tickets to city-owned buildings that failed fire inspections. Although denied at the time by the since-fired city fire marshal, Houston’s Office of Inspector General said an inspector had been told by management “not to issue citations or re-inspection fees to city buildings.”
A mid-2014 inspection at HFD’s arson headquarters at 1205 Dart St. said the office was rife with safety violations more than three years after a scathing report documenting a long history of problems, including combustible storage piled near sprinkler heads and fire exits that were blocked or difficult to open.
As for Garrison’s successor, Parker will be meeting with HFD’s command staff in the coming weeks for their input on naming an interim chief. The next mayor will choose a permanent chief.
“Please join me in thanking Chief Garrison for his dedication and service to our great city and first responders,” Parker said in a statement to Houston City Council members.
Garrison called the Houston Fire Department a “robust organization with very capable members.”
“Whoever my successor is, I am confident that they will continue to strive to provide the highest degree of customer service to the citizens of Houston, while providing for the safety of firefighters,” Garrison said.
The Houston Professional Fire Fighters Association issued a statement Tuesday wishing Garrison well in his “future endeavors.”
“He strived to serve the mayor and firefighters well during his time in Houston while facing a long list of challenges,” union officials said.
The union said the next chief will face a series of problems including an aging vehicle fleet, staffing shortages and radio problems.
“We urge the city to appoint a fire chief who can build upon our department’s strengths and who truly understands the needs of the citizens and the 3,800 women and men who serve in HFD,” the union said.
In Glendale, Garrison will be paid $170,000 to lead a department with 247 firefighters and 34 civilian employees with an operating budget of $47.6 million. As Houston’s fire chief, he currently commands a department with more than 3,800 firefighters and 113 civilian employees. HFD’s budget for 2015’s fiscal year was more than $500 million.
Before he came to Houston, Garrison was the interim chief for the Daisy Mountain Fire District in his native Arizona. He had earlier been fire chief in Oceanside, Calif. Garrison started his firefighting career in Phoenix, serving with that department from 1977 to 2007.
