The Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM) announced today the selection of Paul Gunnels as Assistant Chief for TDEM Region 8 (Central Texas). This area of the state covers 30 counties.
“In this role, Assistant Chief Gunnels continues his honorable career serving Texans before, during, and after disaster strikes,” said Texas Emergency Management Chief Nim Kidd. “I look forward to his leadership in this capacity in TDEM Region 8 and this opportunity to further enhance our emergency management capabilities in Central Texas communities."
Gunnels has served as a Regional Section Chief for Preparedness and Response since 2021, first in North Texas and then in Central Texas. He served as Interim Assistant Chief for TDEM's North Texas region for several months in 2023.
Gunnels began his fire service career with the City of College Station in 1990, serving with distinction for more than 26 years and rising to the position of Assistant Fire Chief of Administration. He also served as the Rescue Program Director at the Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service (TEEX), where he led a staff of more than 40 personnel and secured FEMA’s five-year National Urban Search and Rescue contract, overseeing the delivery of training and multijurisdictional exercises at local, state, and federal levels.
He remains a member of Texas A&M Task Force 1’s Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency USAR Incident Support Team, deploying to numerous large-scale disasters, including 9/11, Hurricane Katrina, Hurricane Ike, Hurricane Sandy, the West Explosion, the Moore, Oklahoma tornadoes, and most recently, last year’s Hurricane Milton, among many others.
Gunnels holds a Master of Public Administration and a bachelor’s degree in emergency management from West Texas A&M University. Gunnels is a U.S. Air Force veteran.
Gunnels’ appointment comes after Assistant Chief Brandi Ashby, who has overseen Region 8 since 2023, transferred to TDEM Region 6 (South-Central Texas) in September. Gunnels served as Interim Assistant Chief of Region 8 during the search to fill the vacancy.
Gunnels will be headquartered in College Station.
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