Letter from the SFFMA President - September 2026

If you set objectives to tackle a problem or challenge and succeed. Ask yourself: was it really a challenge if you didn’t question your resolve at least once on your way to success?

I am a quarter of the way into my year as president. I can’t help but think about all the challenges our departments in Texas face. We face a broad range of challenges in the fire service. We face risks, time away from our loved ones, and the stress that comes with providing customer service on what may be the worst day in a neighbor's life. I have an excellent board to help me with the broad challenge of improving the fire service in Texas. I am sure this board will continue to help with these challenges and search for new areas as well.

For those like me who are, or have been, questioning their resolve along the way, here are some practices I use to keep me going. Don’t do anything alone. Lean on coworkers, peers, and mentors, and talk through the challenges you are facing with them. If you have a mentor, work with them. If you are not mentoring someone, ask why not? Look at what you have built or are building; ask yourself, Am I working with everyone I need to? Yes, I am aware some people are hard to deal with. Resolve not to build a silo of excellence. You may have the best-trained and best-equipped people, but are you working with the agencies in your area? Have you exercised and planned with law enforcement, ISD, emergency management, LEPC, State agencies, and non-governmental organizations?

Call your person or me if you have a challenge or process you would like to talk through.

Thank You

RJ Thomas
SFFMA President
2026-2027