The man who’s been leading the McAllen Fire Department the past 7 months has been tapped to become the permanent fire chief. The city of McAllen has selected James Schultz to succeed fire chief Rafael Balderas who retired in March.
Schultz is being promoted from his post as assistant chief, which he’s held for 8 years. Schultz has been with the McAllen Fire Department for a total of 27 years, starting out as a firefighter and working his way up the ranks, with heavy involvement in firefighter training. As interim chief, Schultz has been coordinating the department’s response to the local coronavirus crisis.
