Assistant Chief James Horton will take over Sept. 1 as Fort Worth searches nationwide for a permanent fire chief following interim Chief Raymond Hill’s retirement

By Lillie Davidson
Fort Worth Star-Telegram

FORT WORTH, Texas — The Fort Worth City Council on Tuesday appointed a 28-year veteran of the city’s fire department to serve as its interim chief beginning in September, according to a statement.

Assistant Fire Chief James Horton will assume the role Sep. 1 when the current interim fire chief, Raymond Hill, retires, according to the statement. Horton previously served as deputy fire chief from 2022 through September of last year.

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Hill took over for previous fire chief Jim Davis last fall after Davis resigned while on administrative leave, the Star-Telegram reported.

The city plans to conduct a nationwide search for its next permanent fire chief, according to the statement.

“Chief Horton is a trusted leader who brings a depth of knowledge and decades of valued experience to this interim role,” assistant city manager William Johnson said. “His extensive background will provide strong leadership for the department during this transition.”

Over his time as a department leader, Horton served on the committee that oversaw the integration of the city’s emergency medical services provider MedStar into the fire department. He also served on a staffing committee that saw the department add 70 new sworn firefighters, city officials said.

Horton earned a Ph.D. in urban and public administration from the University of Texas at Arlington.

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The upgraded CAD system will significantly enhance how the city manages more than 200,000 incidents per year, coordinates resources and uses real-time intelligence — including integrated autonomous drone operations