Region 8

Paul Gunnels serves as Interim Assistant Chief for TDEM Region 8, overseeing a 30-county area in Central Texas.

Gunnels has served as 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.

Prior to TDEM, Gunnels was 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.

Gunnels served the City of College Station Fire Department for 26 years, retiring as Assistant Fire Chief of Administration. He managed training, prevention, accreditation, budgeting, and personnel, and served 13 years as Regional Hazmat Coordinator, leading a multijurisdictional team and coordinating exercises with federal and state partners.

A member of Texas A&M Task Force 1 since 2000, Gunnels has responded to major disasters including the Texas A&M Bonfire Collapse, 9/11, Hurricane Katrina, Hurricane Ike, Hurricane Sandy, Hurricane Milton, the West Explosion, and the tornadoes in Moore, Oklahoma, among many others.

Gunnels began his career in the U.S. Air Force in Aircraft Rescue Firefighting, earning the Good Conduct Medal. He holds a Master of Public Administration from Grand Canyon University, a Bachelor of Arts in Emergency Management from West Texas A&M University, and an Associate of Applied Science in Fire Science from Blinn College. He is a graduate of the National Fire Academy’s Executive Fire Officer Program and the Texas Fire Chiefs Academy.