By George Slaughter
Third of a three-part series
Describing the time when he interviewed for the Katy fire chief position in 2016, Russell Wilson said coming to Katy would be like coming home. He’s from Bridge City, which is near the Texas-Louisiana state line. He described both Bridge City and Katy as small towns with a passion for high school football.
Wilson came to Katy in May 2016. It was his first position where he was in charge of the entire department. He had worked his way up the ranks to assistant fire chief in a 27-year career in the Irving Fire Department.
Mayor Chuck Brawner said many candidates had applied for the fire chief’s position, but Wilson stood out.
Wilson came into a difficult situation. His predecessor, Rufus Summers, had been serving as interim chief. Summers’s predecessor, Leslie Marc Jordan, had entered guilty pleas to two charges, tampering with a governmental record and diverting a controlled substance.
Often when a new manager takes charge, he wants to bring in his own people. In Wilson’s case, the first six months were spent learning about the Katy community, the city government, and the fire department. He said he wanted to meet with everyone in the fire department in one-on-one situations to get their take on things.
The feedback he received is helping shape today’s department. The department now several internal committees to improve things. One such committee has responsibility for interviewing prospective Katy firefighters. It’s an important part of the hiring process. Will the candidate’s would-be colleagues have confidence that they can count on him in when there’s a fire?
Candidates who pass that test have an interview with Wilson as part of the hiring process. Wilson said he told the committee members that if they didn’t feel comfortable with a given candidate, he wouldn’t want to see that candidate, either.
The fire department also has a policies and procedures committee and a strategic planning committee.
Wilson is a believer in continuing education and development. He’s currently reading How Successful People Lead by John C. Maxwell, a business consultant and author.
He’s also helped create an officer development program for the department, where firefighters can develop their skills. The curriculum addresses leadership principles, communication issues, and single and multiple company responses to situations. It also reviews administrative issues such as risk management, disciplinary issues.
Finally, candidates take an internship in which they ride with a senior officer. The program is designed for firefighters to move up the career ladder, and not just the fire engine ladder.