After carefully sifting through a large national field of contenders, the City of Plano has narrowed the list to three finalists in the search for its next Fire Chief.
Plano hired SGR Executive Search to conduct the recruitment after former chief Hugo Esparza retired in July, ending his six-year tenure. The firm said it received 43 qualified applications from 18 states, and the candidate pool has now been narrowed down to Brian Crawford, Robert Isbell, and Dennis Rubin—all with extensive Fire Chief experience and outstanding qualifications.
Brian Crawford is currently the Assistant Chief Administrative Officer for Shreveport, Louisiana, population 200,000. He is second in command on the executive management team that oversees all city operations. Crawford has been serving in Shreveport for 28 years, starting as a firefighter and working his way up to Fire Chief, before being promoted to Assistant Chief Administrative Officer. One of Crawford’s major accomplishments stemmed from him being asked to help develop a statewide fire mutual aid system for Louisiana following the failures associated with recovery from Hurricane Katrina. Crawford is a member of the International Association of Fire Chiefs – Southwest Division, Metropolitan Fire Chief’s Association, International Association of Emergency Managers, National Association of Hispanic Firefighters, and U.S. Fire Administration National Fire Academy Alumni Association. With a B.A. in organizational management from Wiley College, he obtained a M.A in industrial/organizational psychology at Louisiana Tech University and completed Harvard University’s Senior Executives in State and Local Government program.
Robert Isbell is Fire Chief in Midland, Texas, and has held Fire Chief positions in Southlake and Euless, Texas. Now overseeing the fire operations for a city of more than 130,000, Isbell launched his 27-year career in Mansfield, Texas as a firefighter/paramedic and was a training captain when he left that department to become Battalion Commander in Southlake, Texas, and was later selected to become Fire Chief. From there, he became Fire Chief in Euless, before being selected as Fire Chief in Midland. Isbell is president of the Texas Fire Chief’s Association and founder of Permian Basin Firemen’s Fund, a non-profit organization that supports the fire service in the Permian Basin area. Isbell also held official positions for the Northeast Fire Department Association, Tarrant County Fire Chief’s Association, and was on the advisory board for the Tarrant County College Fire Academy. He notes his most rewarding work was as a mediator with the Tarrant County court system, building bridges to find common ground with civil and family cases. Isbell graduated Summa Cum Laude with a B.S. in public safety administration from Grand Canyon University, where he also received his M.S. in public safety administration with a 4.0 GPA.
Dennis Rubin’s experience in fire and rescue spans more than 35 years. He was Fire Chief in Washington, D.C; Atlanta, Georgia; Norfolk, Virginia; and Dothan, Alabama. His positions allowed him to manage fire departments in cities ranging from a population of 60,000 to 600,000. Rubin’s experience as Fire Chief in D.C. included many emergency responses to the White House and working with the U.S. Secret Service. Currently, Rubin is the senior consultant for D.L. Rubin & Associates. The company provides training, development, and independent review services for all types of fire-rescue agencies. Rubin has written more than 160 professional journal articles and authored three books: “Rube’s Rules for Survival”, and “DC Fire: It’s Not Just a Job”. He is a member of the International Society of Fire Services Instructors, National Fire Protection Association, Arizona State Fire Training Advisory Committee, International Association of Fire Chiefs, Virginia State Fire Chief Association, National Fire Academy Adjunct Instructors Society, and Alabama Fire Chiefs Association. Rubin graduated from the University of Maryland with a B.S. in fire administration.
It is anticipated that these finalists will be scheduled for a panel interview with key city leaders by the end of October.
