Fort Worth firefighters union completes vote of no confidence in chief
The Fort Worth Professional Firefighters Association has taken a vote of no confidence in Fire Chief Jim Davis, who recently announced his resignation.
Zac Shaffer, the union’s president, shared the firefighters’ concerns in a statement Friday.
“Chief Davis’ failure to correct violations of safety standards, recognize acceptable on-scene times for EMS and fire response, and ensure accurate dispatch of resources have led the membership to this result,” Shaffer said.
Davis, who announced his resignation on Oct. 17 with a last work day effective Oct. 31, had been on paid administrative leave since Sept. 23. City officials cited a “personnel matter” as the reason for Davis being put on leave, but didn’t give further details.
Davis was sworn in as the department’s chief on Oct. 16, 2018, according to his online bio. Before coming to Fort Worth, he was responsible for the training and education of firefighters and paramedics in Columbus, Ohio.
Shaffer’s statement didn’t elaborate about the areas of concern, but said, “As a body, the 440 does not believe Jim Davis can lead this department effectively.”
Davis’ attorney, Stephen Kennedy, said the vote was the union’s way of retaliating against the fire chief. In an emailed statement, Kennedy accused the Professional Firefighters Association of contributing to unsafe working conditions and opposing Davis’ recommendation that the National Institute for Occupational Health and Safety conduct an external review of the most recent incident involving injury to a firefighter.
“Fort Worth taxpayers along with the hard-working men and women in the fire department should be asking the 440’s leadership why they opposed Chief Davis’ request for an independent review of safety conditions by a third party,” Kennedy said. “What don’t they want the public to know?”
Assistant Chief Raymond Hill is serving as interim chief until city officials can find a replacement for Davis.
This story was originally published October 25, 2025 at 2:48 PM.
