“The city of Celina has received an excellent pool of candidates for the position of Fire Chief,” according to a statement from city officials shared by Celina Communications Director Joe Monaco. “We have decided to extend the search to ensure we select the best leader for the Celina Fire Department. We appreciate the interest shown by all applicants and will continue to work diligently through this selection process.”
Two-minute impact
The additional finalists are:
- Cory DeBaere, division chief for the city of Denver, Colorado
- Kyle McAfee, fire chief for the city of Selma, Texas
- Shawn White, fire chief for the city of Henderson, Nevada
Celina residents interested in meeting the new finalists can attend an Aug. 5 community meet and greet held from 6.-7:30 p.m. in the community room at Lamar National Bank located at 110 S. Preston Road, Celina.
The meet and greet will also give residents an opportunity to engage with the candidates and learn more about their vision for the future of the Celina Fire Department, according to a July 25 city news release.
About the candidates
DeBaere is a decorated division chief with the Denver Fire Department with more than 25 years of experience in firefighting, command and leadership roles, according to the release. Before becoming a division chief, he spent 20 years as a firefighter, lieutenant, captain and operations shift commander. DeBaere earned a bachelor’s of science in cardiac rehabilitation from Colorado State University.
McAfee is currently serving as the fire chief for Selma, Texas. He started his fire service career in 1986 as a volunteer in Keller and joined the North Richland Hills Fire Department in 1991. McAfee earned a bachelor's degree in fire administration and organizational leadership and received the International Association of Fire Chiefs' Fire Service Award for Excellence in 2008.
White was appointed as Henderson’s 11th fire chief in 2017 where he saw the opening of four fire stations, according to the release. He began his fire service career in 1989 with the Albuquerque Fire Department and has a bachelor’s degree in fire service.
