Harker Heights hires new fire chief

Killeen Daily Herald
STAFF REPORT
June 9, 2023

Harker Heights has a new fire chief.

Shannon Stephens will take command of the Harker Heights Fire Department on July 10, according to city news release on Friday.

Stephens is a 24-year veteran of The Colony Fire Department, near Dallas.

“We are extremely excited to have Shannon as our next Fire Chief. Shannon has made significant contributions to fire safety and devoted his life to public service. He is a capable leader who will serve the city and the Fire Department well as we confront the challenges of the future,” Heights City Manager David Mitchell said in the release.

Stephens currently serves as assistant fire chief for The Colony, a position he has held since 2014.

At The Colony, he is responsible for five fire stations and 95 employees.

In addition to being the assistant fire chief, he is a peer reviewer for the Center for Public Safety Excellence, the Adjunct Fire Instructor at Collin College, and serves on the Emergency Medical Services Advisory Committee as a board member of the Collin College.

At Collin College he is the lead instructor for Fire Officer III Incident Commander, Incident Safety Officer, and the Fire Instructor III certification course curriculum.

Stephens has a bachelor’s degree in fire and emergency services administration at Texas A&M University-San Antonio as well as his master’s degree in public administration from the University of Texas at Arlington, the release stated.

His other designations include: the Chief Fire Officer designation from the Center for Public Safety Excellence, the Fire Service Chief Executive Officer designation from Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service, the Certified Fire Executive designation from the Texas Fire Chief’s Association, the MIFireE designation from the Institution of Fire Engineers and he is a Certified Public Manager from Texas State University.