District 7 Fire Rescue Celebrates Graduation of Three Officers from Texas Fire Chiefs Academy

District 7 chief officers with officers from Bexar County ESD 2 and 8, Medina County ESD 1, and Boerne Fire Department.

District 7 Fire Rescue is proud to announce that Assistant Chief Tim Ivey, Division Chief Esteban Marquez, and Division Chief Donald “Wes” Richardson have recently graduated from the Texas Fire Chiefs Academy.

This achievement underscores our ongoing commitment to professional development and to equipping our leadership with cutting-edge knowledge and skills that directly benefit the communities we serve.

Assistant Chief Ivey being awarded his program diploma.

What Is the Texas Fire Chiefs Academy?

The Texas Fire Chiefs Academy is a rigorous, executive‐level development program offered through the Texas Fire Chiefs Association. The Academy is designed not only for current fire chiefs, but also for aspiring chief officers, and aims to cultivate leadership excellence across the Texas fire service.

Participants can attend Year 1 and Year 2 sessions (spring and fall), and upon completion of both years, graduates receive the Certified Fire Executive (CFE) designation — a credential increasingly recognized in Texas fire service circles.

The curriculum is multifaceted, with emphasis on:

• Strategic leadership and organizational management — guiding fire departments through challenges, change, and long-range planning

• Financial stewardship and budgeting — aligning resources with mission and community expectations

• Ethics, accountability, and professional standards

• Personnel development and succession planning

• Risk management, safety culture, and resilience

• Interagency collaboration, mutual aid, and statewide networking

• Communications, crisis management, and public engagement

By immersing participants in workshops, case studies, peer learning, and scenario-based sessions, the Academy helps broaden the perspective of fire service leaders beyond tactics and operations to include executive responsibilities and community leadership.

Left to Right: Division Chief Richardson, Fire Chief Clarkson, Assistant Chief Ivey, Division Chief Marquez

What This Means for District 7 and Our Community

This is more than an accolade. By investing in our leadership, we strengthen District 7’s ability to:

• Evolve proactively in safety, operations, and technology

• Build more resilient and adaptive organizational systems

• Effectively manage resources and budgets with stewardship and transparency

• Enhance interagency partnerships and regional coordination

• Cultivate a culture of leadership, accountability, and continuous improvement

The fire service is not static, and neither can we be. Chief Ivey, Chief Marquez, and Chief Richardson’s completion of this challenging program stands as evidence that District 7 is dedicated to staying on the cutting edge—so we can better serve you, day in and day out.

Please join us in congratulating them on this accomplishment. Their success is a win for all of us.