FIRE Department
Fire Chief James L. Karl
James was born in 1955 in Taylor Texas, moved to Bellmead and joined the Bellmead Volunteer Fire Department in March of 1976 as a volunteer. After serving the department for four years as a volunteer he had an opportunity to become one of the three paid firefighters. In December of 1980 he was appointed to serve as a paid firefighter. In 1983 he was appointed by the City Council to serve as the first paid Fire Chief for the City of Bellmead, a position he still serves today. He attended McLennan Community College, Hill Junior College, and Texas A&M on Fire related courses, Management as well as leadership Courses. He holds several certifications including Advance Firefighter, Master certificate from Texas Volunteer Firefighter Board, Advance Arson Certificate, Master Peace Officer Certificate. He serves as Emergency Manager Coordinator for the city of Bellmead
James is married to Debbie and they have (5) children.
He is past president of McLennan County Fire Association.
He is involved in several community civic organizations and has received several service awards through his (34) years of service including an acknowledgement from the City Council for Invaluable Contribution as Interim City Manager.
Fire Marshal William (Billy) T. Hlavenka, Jr.
Billy is a native of the Waco/Robinson area, graduated from Robinson High School in 1983 and then a 1989 gradute of Texas A&M Fire Protection Division Class #69.
After serving the City of Marlin Fire Department, Billy joined the City of Bellmead Fire Department in 1992. Billy has advanced over the years and has served as Interim Fire Chief. He recently returned to his position as Fire Marashal when Chief Karl returned from performing as Interim City Manager.
Billy is married to Kelly and they have two children. Billy is involved in his community and has coached little league.
Billy has received numerous certifications and awards. He is a member of several Associations including the McLennan County Fire Assocociation.
Duties:
The Fire Marshal works closely with Community Development. One primary focus is conducting fire safety inspections of local businesses, concentrating on high risk facilities such as hotels and restaurants. If code violations are found, a list of problematic issues is presented to the business, and ample time is given to address and resolve these issues. Repeated failures to correct violations will warrant the issue of a citation.
The Bellmead Fire Department has a minimum of 2 personnel on duty 24 hours 7 days a week. There are currently 20 personnel on the department in which 10 are career staff and 10 are volunteers. All career personnel are certified in EMS. Currently Bellmead has
1 Paramedic
2 EMT – Intermediate
7 Basic EMT’s.
Fire Department Numbers
911 Emergencies
Emergency - 254-799-1661
Admin. - 254-799-9922
Fax - 254-412-7546
Chief - 254-412-7540
Marshal - 254-412-7541
Staff
| Name | Rank | Shift |
|---|---|---|
| James Karl | Fire Chief – EMT – I | |
| William Hlavenka | Fire Marshal – EMT - I | |
| Cody Samford | Firefighter – EMT | A |
| Wesley Hunke | Firefighter – EMT | A |
| Justin Shaw | Firefighter – EMT | B |
| Travis Sonne | Firefighter – EMT | B |
| Robert Sinclair | Firefighter – EMT | C |
| Harold Pfleiderer | Firefighter – EMT | C |
| Gary Grant | Firefighter – EMT-P | D |
| Jeremy Cobb | Firefighter – EMT | D |
VOLUNTEERS |
||
| Steven Patrick | Assistant Chief | |
| Mark Necessary | Captain | |
| Ray Guest | Firefighter | |
| Johnny Herrera | Firefighter | |
| Wayne Freeman | Firefighter | |
| Floyd White | Firefighter | |
| Tim Lord | Firefighter | |
| Adrian Huff | Firefighter | |
| Steve Morales | Firefighter | |
| Guzman Dominguez | Firefighter | |