GRAPEVINE, Texas - A significant divide has emerged between members of the Grapevine Texas Fire Department and city administration after firefighters overwhelmingly approved votes of no confidence in Fire Chief Darrell Brown and two assistant chiefs, while City Manager Bruno Rumbelow responded by giving all three his "full and unequivocal support."
The Grapevine Professional Firefighters Association Local 3113 released the results Friday, Aug. 14, saying the vote followed approximately two years of concerns involving department leadership, firefighter and community safety, communication, transparency, accountability and operational decisions.
Each of the three no-confidence questions received 100 ballots.
Fire Chief Darrell Brown received 87 votes of no confidence, six votes against the motion and seven abstentions. Among members voting either yes or no, 93.5% supported the no-confidence motion.
Assistant Chief Wes Williams received 80 yes votes, 11 no votes and nine abstentions, resulting in 87.9% support among members who voted for or against the motion.
Assistant Chief Stuart Grant received 74 yes votes, 16 no votes and 10 abstentions, with 82.2% supporting the motion among those casting a yes or no vote.
The association emphasized that the vote does not remove the chiefs from their positions or replace the authority of Grapevine's elected officials or city administration.
Instead, Local 3113 described the vote as an internal membership action documenting firefighters' level of confidence in the department's current leadership.
Firefighters Cite Two Years of Concerns
According to Local 3113, members have raised concerns through established channels for approximately two years but believe many of those issues have not been adequately addressed.
The association said the concerns involve "community and firefighter safety, leadership, communication, transparency, accountability, operational decision-making, and other matters affecting the department."
Local 3113 also alleged that members have reported and documented instances of intimidation and threats affecting their employment.
As part of the no-confidence process, firefighters were given an opportunity to submit their own experiences and concerns. The association said those submissions were reviewed and incorporated into the rationale for holding the vote.
Local 3113 stressed that the dispute was not based on a single incident or operational disagreement.
"The results provide a clear record of the position expressed by the membership through the vote," the association said.
The union said it intends to continue advocating for what it described as a professional, accountable, transparent and operationally ready fire department.
City Manager Gives Chiefs His 'Full and Unequivocal Support'
Following the release of the vote, Grapevine City Manager Bruno Rumbelow issued a lengthy statement strongly defending Brown, Grant and Williams.
"The City of Grapevine has long made public safety one of its highest priorities, and the result is a Fire Department that I would put up against any in Texas," Rumbelow said.
He said the department's emergency response record reflects both community investment and experienced leadership.
"Fire Chief Darrell Brown and Assistant Chiefs Stuart Grant and Wes Williams have my full and unequivocal support," Rumbelow said.
According to Rumbelow, Brown has more than four decades of fire service experience and has led the Grapevine Fire Department since 2014.
"In my experience, he is one of the finest fire chiefs in the profession," Rumbelow said. "He is a man of integrity, an exceptional leader, and a tireless advocate for the firefighters and paramedics he leads."
City Points to Fire Stations, Apparatus and Ambulance Investments
Rumbelow pointed to several investments made under the current leadership team as evidence of the department's progress.
According to the city manager, Grapevine has replaced two fire stations and remodeled two others under Brown's leadership.
The city has also invested more than $8 million in fire apparatus during the past four years and added a fourth ambulance in response to increasing emergency demand.
Rumbelow said Grapevine has maintained competitive salaries while offering what the city believes are among the best employee benefits in the Metroplex.
"Each of these actions has made every part of Grapevine safer," he said.
Rumbelow also defended the experience of the department's assistant chiefs.
Grant began his fire service career with Dallas Fire-Rescue in 1979 and eventually became Special Operations Chief before joining Grapevine in 2014. Williams joined Grapevine in 2001 and worked his way through the department before becoming assistant chief in 2023.
City Manager Says Resource Allocation Is Part of Dispute
Rumbelow characterized at least part of the current conflict as disagreement over how department resources are allocated.
"There is currently disagreement among some members of the department over resource allocation decisions made by this leadership team," he said.
The city manager said employees have appropriate avenues for expressing disagreements but sharply criticized the decision to bring the dispute into the public arena.
"What I find deeply disappointing is the decision by some to take those disagreements public and engage in personal and unprofessional attacks against Chief Brown and his leadership team," Rumbelow said.
He argued that leadership requires balancing staffing, equipment, emergency response needs, taxpayer resources and safety, and that those decisions will not always be popular with employees.
"Good leadership is not measured by whether every decision is popular, but rather measured by whether those decisions are made responsibly, professionally, and in the best interests of the community," Rumbelow said.
Firefighters and City Leadership Offer Sharply Different Assessments
The two statements present notably different assessments of the situation inside the Grapevine Texas Fire Department.
Local 3113 says the votes reflect widespread concerns among its membership that have developed over roughly two years and involve issues extending beyond a single disagreement over resources.
City leadership, meanwhile, is standing firmly behind the three chiefs. Rumbelow said he knows their records, character and accomplishments and believes they care deeply about the firefighters they oversee.
"Our firefighters and paramedics are among the finest anywhere," Rumbelow said. "I want their attention focused on what matters most: serving this community, protecting our families and continuing the tradition of excellence that generations of Grapevine firefighters have built."
He concluded by reiterating his position on the department's leadership.
"Chief Brown, Chief Grant, and Chief Williams have my complete confidence and wholehearted support."
The firefighters association has not indicated that the vote itself will result in any leadership changes, and the city has announced no such changes. The competing statements leave the Grapevine Texas Fire Department facing a public dispute between a large majority of voting association members and the city manager over confidence in the department's top leadership.
