Weslaco names Lopez new fire chief - Monitor
"Tony has presented himself as the best qualified of all five applicants," Mayor David Suarez said during the meeting. Perez praised Lopez, a licensed paramedic, for his EMS experience and understanding of Civil Service and collective bargaining procedures. An applicant who "demonstrated key principles" that city officials sought in a new chief, Perez further noted that Lopez is a master firefighter who's well-certified and has advanced emergency manager certification. "He had key principles we were looking for from the standpoint of the department, and we asked a lot of questions about managing Civil Service in a collective bargaining environment," Perez said. The new fire chief will lead a department that has three stations, 65 members and as many as 8,500 calls per year. Lopez said that when he first began working for the department in 2002, firefighters at that time answered anywhere from 2,500 to 3,000 calls annually. "It's an honor to be here today and to receive this news of leading one of the best fire departments in the Valley," Lopez said at the meeting and during his first public address as fire chief. Firefighter Rick Torres, who's been with the department for half a year, agreed with Cuellar. Source: www.themonitor.com
