A.D. Ibarra -Eagle Pass

Thursday, Interim Fire Chief Sonny Mello was informed of the fact that he had been officially named the permanent replacement to Former Fire Chief Jesus Rodriguez. After an extensive search which included a pool of at least five finalists for the position, three of whom were from across the country, Mello will lead the Eagle Pass Fire Department forward into it's next phase of opening the new City of Eagle Pass Public Safety Complex. Mello has served as Assistant Chief since 2008 and has been involved in several significant fires and tractor trailer incidents such as the Eagle Oil truck incident on Thompson Road, the blaze on the corner of Commercial and Rio Grande, the Industrial Park fire, the fire on Monroe and Main and several tractor trailer crashes over the years. He has also served as a Lieutenant for nine years and Acting Captain for some time thereafter. "We're working on moving into the new safety complex and are waiting for civil service to come in. We will be looking into the purchase of a new fire engine and two new ambulances as well as much needed equipment. So we will be a better and more efficient fire department," said our newest chief, "We will be working more on response times to make sure our citizens get the fastest response and best rained personnel possible." In closing, Chief Mello concluded. "I am honored to be in this position and I thank Mayor Cantú, the city council and Mr. (Hector) Chavez for having the confidence in me to take on this privilege which I will to the best of my ability."