HFD Planning and Homeland Security

Assistant Chief Daniel Snell
1205 Dart Street
Houston, Texas 77007
713-247-5000

Special Operations -The Division includes: Rescue, Hazmat and the Aircraft Rescue Firefighters and responds to emergency hazardous materials incidents, technical rescues, and rescue of aircraft incident victims. It also responds to disasters, assists local emergency responders, directs the Houston Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC) and liaison to the City of Houston Office of Emergency Management (OEM). Read More >>>

Fire Trainee Recruiting - Classified Recruiting is responsible for soliciting, processing, and screening applicants for both classified. The section functions to hire at least 300 Firefighter trainees per year to cover existing classified personnel. Currently, the Recruiting Staff initiates the recruitment efforts, accepts applications, tests the candidates both physically and mentally, prepares the applicant files background investigation, coordinates the polygraph testing, and supplies a ranked listing of qualified applicants for the next funded class. Read More >>>

Staff Services -The Staff Services Command is comprised of eight divisions: Governmental Liaison, Legal Services, Grievance Administration, Language Assessment, and Pension. Read More >>>


Asst. Fire Chief Daniel Snell

Assistant Chief Snell joined the HFD in 1974. Previous to his current position, he was the Coordinator for the fire department's Hazardous Materials Response Team, one of the busiest teams in the world and he served as captain on the HMRT for eight years. He also serves as the Community Emergency Coordinator for the Houston Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC). Snell is actively involved in training and since 1991 has had the opportunity to conduct training for the International Association of Fire Fighters all across the United States. Locally, he is a member of numerous committees and organizations such as Channel Industries Mutual Aid (CIMA), Houston HazMat Association, Port Security Task Force, etc. He serves as Strike Team Leader on the Houston Medical Strike Team, a concentrated effort to enhance the responder's ability to respond to an incident involving Weapons of Mass Destruction. On a broader base he serves as a member of the National Fire Protection Association's Technical Committee on Hazardous Materials Response Personnel (NFPA 471, 472, 473) and as a Weapons of Mass Destruction Group Leader for FEMA's Texas Task Force 1.