What happened
Attendees and speakers included fire chiefs from neighboring departments, state and county fire chiefs associations, local legislators, department members and Cy-Fair Houston Chamber of Commerce President Leslie Martone.
The meeting agenda included an item to “[hear] a complaint or charge against” the fire chief—all of which took place in closed session. While the reasoning for this agenda item wasn’t discussed in open session, some public comments implied that commissioners were attempting to oust Ramon.
After a nearly five-hour meeting, the board took no action on the item.
Jersey Village Fire Chief Mark Bitz, who also serves as the vice president of the Harris County Fire Chief's Association, presented a statement on behalf of the association expressing “unwavering support” for Ramon, noting she is a respected leader in her department, the Houston region and beyond.
“We do not presume to know the details behind the agenda items currently before this board. However, we feel it is important to ensure that Chief Ramon’s record of service and leadership is acknowledged as part of that discussion,” he said.
Additionally, a member of a local state representative’s staff read a statement from the lawmakers representing CFFD’s constituents—Jon Rosenthal, D-Houston; Tom Oliverson, R-Cypress; Sam Harless, R-Spring; Lacey Hull, R-Houston; Penny Morales Shaw, D-Houston; and Mike Schofield, R-Katy—expressing strong support for Ramon and advocating for her to “remain as our ESD 9 fire chief.”
A closer look
Chris Fillmore, president of the Cy-Fair Professional Firefighters Association, said while the group’s 245 members wanted to work with the board, they were “deeply troubled by the secretive divisiveness of some on the ESD board.”
This speech followed a March 29 letter from the local firefighters’ union expressing concerns about “the direction of recent ESD meetings.”
In April, three of the five commissioners voted to oust CFFD’s longtime legal counsel—a move that Fillmore said took the other two commissioners by surprise and brought the board’s transparency and ethics into question.
“Every fourth Thursday of the month has become a waste of taxpayer resources as a few ESD commissioners propagate misinformation and maintain distracting witch-hunts. All of this threatens our ability to provide the very best fire and EMS service to this Cy-Fair community—let alone recruit and retain the very best firefighters, paramedics, dispatchers and support staff,” Fillmore said at the May 22 meeting.
League of Women Voters Cy-Fair President Marlene Lobberecht, a 45-year community resident, called for transparency and good governance, encouraging residents to get involved in local government.
Ramon joined the department in 1990 as a volunteer firefighter and served as a station officer, board member and assistant chief of EMS over the next several years. In 2014, she was appointed as the department’s fire chief.
Over the last decade, she has overseen the department’s transition from a volunteer fire department to one that has full-time, part-time and volunteer firefighters on staff. She continues to oversee a growing department today as the CFFD is working to add eight new fire stations over the next several years, Community Impact previously reported.
“Under [Ramon’s] guidance, the Cy-Fair Fire Department has grown into one of the most progressive and collaborative departments in the area. ... In our view, the region is safer, better connected and more prepared because of her leadership,” Bitz said.
Last March, she was the first woman to receive the Texas Fire Chiefs Association’s Fire Chief of the Year Award.
“I’m beyond thrilled with this recognition,” she said in a statement after receiving the award. “But mostly I’m grateful: for the frontline responders who save lives, the leaders who show up every day and give it their all, the commissioners who’ve made sure our crews have fair compensation and the best equipment, and the community that turns up for events and supports us every step along the way.”
What's next
In April, Commissioner Kevin Stertzel submitted his resignation from the board, effective May 30, due to a job-related relocation. The board must appoint someone to finish out his term within 90 days.
Applications are expected to open by the end of May, and the board will meet June 17 to narrow down the applicant list to their top picks. On June 24, the board will interview remaining applicants. The remaining four commissioners must reach a majority vote before finalizing their decision.
The board’s next regularly scheduled meeting is set for June 26.
