Dallas has named its new permanent Dallas Fire-Rescue chief​on April 11, 2025 at 3:35 am

DALLAS — The city of Dallas has named the next permanent Dallas Fire-Rescue chief, and he’s a familiar face. 

Justin Ball, who has served as interim fire chief since June of 2024 after former Dallas Fire-Rescue chief Dominique Artis was appointed to serve as the city’s first Chief of Public Safety, has been elevated to the permanent fire chief, the city announced Thursday. 

“It’s an incredible honor to have been selected as the permanent Chief to lead the brave men and women with whom I have the pleasure of working with each day,” said Ball. “I look forward to building on our positive momentum, focusing on the safety and wellness of our members, and continuing to deliver the best service to this community.” 

He was backed by the largest association representing Dallas Fire-Rescue, the Dallas Fire Fighters Association (DFFA).

“Chief Ball has a demonstrated track record of strong leadership. He has brought fresh ideas to solve problems and seized on innovative opportunities to take this internationally recognized department to the next level,” said Dallas City Manager, Kimberly Bizor Tolbert. “I appreciate his contribution to keeping Dallas at the top of the leaderboard as one of the safest large cities in the country, and his dedication to the DFR team.” 

Originally from England, Ball has worked for Dallas Fire-Rescue since the start of his fire service career in 1997. During his time at DFR, he’s served in various roles from firefighter paramedic to field deputy chief, executive deputy chief, assistant chief and executive assistant chief of operations.

Ball headed up DFR’s fire response, EMS, Special Operations, Communications and Safety divisions and spearheaded initiatives like the department’s Stop the Bleed Program. He was also involved in leading the response and recovery efforts after an EF-3 tornado tore through North Dallas in October 2019. 

“Chief Ball has a demonstrated track record of strong leadership. He has brought fresh ideas to solve problems and seized on innovative opportunities to take this internationally recognized department to the next level,” said Dallas City Manager Kimberly Bizor Tolbert. “I appreciate his contribution to keeping Dallas at the top of the leaderboard as one of the safest large cities in the country, and his dedication to the DFR team.” 

He has a bachelor’s degree in Fire Administration from Texas A&M and maintains certifications as a Master Firefighter, ARFF, Fire Officer II, Fire Instructor II, Incident Commander, and Incident Safety Officer.

He was chosen from a group of 32 applicants, including current and former fire chief and executives, after a local and regional search. 

The other top three finalists for the job included:

• Todd Alt: Tampa Fire Rescue Assistant Chief of Operations Todd Alt has worked for Tampa Fire Rescue since 2001.
• Raymond Hill: Fort Worth Executive Assistant Fire Chief Raymond Hill has worked in fire service leadership for more than 30 years.
• Samuel Peña: Samuel Peña formerly served as fire chief in Houston and El Paso and currently works as the chief of disaster preparedness for the Harris County Engineering Department in Houston.

In the immediate wake of the announcement, Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson issued the following statement regarding the hire: 

“It is my pleasure to congratulate Justin Ball on officially becoming the new chief of Dallas Fire-Rescue.

“I know our city manager took the hiring process seriously, and Chief Ball proved himself during his time as interim chief. In my time as mayor, Chief Ball has also been integral to our city’s life-safety responses to major incidents, and I have seen him emerge as an adept leader from our shared time in our Emergency Operations Center during some very challenging times for Dallas.

“I am confident that Chief Ball is ready to lead this critical department and shares my commitment to the safety of Dallas residents. I look forward to continuing to work with him on behalf of our residents and the men and women of Dallas Fire-Rescue.”