SAN ANTONIO — The San Antonio Fire Department has promoted its deputy fire chief to the top job, ending a monthslong search.
San Antonio Fire Chief Charles Hood stepped down back in early January, prompting a nationwide search for his replacement that resulted in 65 candidates vying for the job.
Just a week after his resignation, Valerie Frausto was named the interim deputy fire chief while Christopher Monestier took the reins as interim fire chief. On Thursday, City Manager Erik Walsh announced Frausto as the next chief of the San Antonio Fire Department (SAFD), and the department's first woman fire chief.
She takes over Nov. 1, after City Council confirms her appointment at its Oct. 31 meeting.
"Hiring from within makes a lot of sense," Mayor Ron Nirenberg said. "We've got great people over there. I expect Valerie to thrive as our city's new fire chief. I look forward to her taking the reins of a great fire department and making it even better."
Frausto, a San Antonio native, has served as fire marshal for the city and has been a part of SAFD for the last 24 years. Chief Frausto spent the first 15 years of her career in the firefighting and EMS divisions of SAFD, going from frontline firefighting to department administration.
During that time, the department said, she worked five years as a firefighter before moving on to be a fire engineer/paramedic; three years in the EMS Division before being promoted to lieutenant in the firefighting division; and seven years in the firefighting division holding the ranks of lieutenant, captain and battalion chief.
During this time, SAFD also launched the Hero Like Her recruiting campaign to recruit women to the typically male-dominated field of firefighting.
“It is an honor to serve this community,” Chief Frausto said in a release. “This opportunity represents not only a significant milestone in my career but also a commitment to the safety and well-being of both residents and firefighters. Public safety is a team effort, and I look forward to working alongside our brave firefighters, dedicated staff, and community leaders.”
“I have the outmost confidence in Chief Frausto’s ability to lead the San Antonio Fire Department in its mission to protect the lives and property of our community,” Walsh said in the release.
A panel of city leaders and community members selected a shortlist of six candidates for in-person interviews, as well as interviews with SAFD employees. Those city and community leaders met with each of these candidates and provided feedback to the city manager.
“We had excellent applicants, both internal and outside of SAFD, interested in the fire chief position, which made this a difficult decision,” said Walsh. “However, as the process unfolded, it became evident that we have remarkable talent in the San Antonio Fire Department.
