SAN ANTONIO — Friday, Nov. 1 marks what the City of San Antonio considers a reset for its municipal fire department.
On Thursday, San Antonio City Council officially confirmed Valerie Frausto as the new fire chief after a monthslong process. City Manager Erik Walsh called her the most qualified of the 69 applications that were received from around the country.
"I think what what sets Val apart is, and I shared this with her probably around step four or five: She's confident," Walsh said. "That's a big position. Being fire chief in this city is going to be it is a huge responsibility, and I want somebody – and I think the mayor and the council want somebody, and I suspect the firefighters want somebody – that is going to have the confidence and wherewithal to be able to continue to lead, build a team and execute."
Frausto is a San Antonio local and has served with SAFD for the past 24 years, rising through the ranks to now become chief.
"This is really a dream come true," Frausto said. "I want to provide the most excellent service possible. I already think that we do that. But I think that, as we've always done, we improve with every step that we have ever taken."
Frausto was allegedly harassed by former firefighters union leader Chris Steele to drop out of the running.
"It never even crossed my mind," she said. "I always have a positive attitude and I just continued to move forward and do the right thing so that it's just a new chapter, a new beginning."
She takes over from former fire chief Charles Hood, who stepped down in January following an investigation done by the city that found he had made comments that disrespected women. Since his retirement, Frausto has served as the deputy fire chief.
"Regardless of the past, we are always pushing for diversity and inclusion and giving people the tools and the opportunity to have a voice," Frausto said. "Empower our next leaders of the fire department and ensuring that we do everything possible to do put them in that pipeline so that we know that there's already a department full of leaders. It's just a matter of putting them in the right places and ensuring that they have everything they need."
During her time with SAFD, Frausto helped launch the "Hero Like Her" recruiting campaign, to help encourage young women to pursue a career like firefighting. Frausto's appointment is historic. She is now the first female fire chief in the San Antonio Fire Department's history.
"There's so many other small tweaks I think the department could use at this point in time," Frausto said. "But overall, as I've said before, it's an exceptional department. I actually know that, operationally, we are sound. I think a lot of the improvements are procedural and communication and transparency. That's really going to be our focus is communication. Just like everything else, it's extremely important."