CITY OF KATY, Texas (Covering Katy News)—The Katy City Council Monday approved the appointment of Dana Massey as interim fire chief as current Chief Kenneth Parker plans to retire Feb. 2, 2026.
Dana Massey becomes first woman fire chief in Katy history
Mayor Dusty Thiele nominated Massey for the interim chief job.
"I think Dana's going to be great," Thiele said. "She's really a good person, very knowledgeable, and very well respected. We'll really be in good hands."
Massey said she was thankful and grateful that city leaders had the trust in her to appoint her.
"Typically, departments will get interim chiefs from the outside to come in and cover until they can get a full-time chief," Massey said Tuesday. "But I'm glad they didn't do that. I'm glad they had trust in me."
Massey joined the Katy Fire Department in 1999 after serving with the Baytown and Galena Park fire departments. As Katy assistant fire chief, her responsibilities included personnel management, a critical function as cities across the region compete to recruit and retain first responders.
She was named the City of Katy's 2021 Employee of the Year and has cited her father, Houston firefighter C.L. Massey, as a role model.
Interim fire chief outlines goals for Katy Fire Department Massey said her biggest goal was to keep department priorities moving things forward.
"We have a new substation being built out west (at Pederson and Kingsland), and so I want to keep that on track," Massey said. The station, she said, should be ready and opened by 2027 or 2028.
Massey said she also hopes to secure apparatus replacements and a third ambulance for the department.
"We're not getting any slower around here, so we just hope to continue the growth of the department with the growth of the city," Massey said.
Katy continues trend of promoting fire and police chiefs from within Massey's appointment continues a recent pattern in Katy of promoting leadership from within both the police and fire departments.
In 2024, when then-Police Chief Noe Diaz left to become Houston police chief, Thiele appointed patrol Captain Bryon Woytek as interim chief. Woytek was later named permanent chief and continues in that role.
In 2020, when then-Fire Chief Rusty Wilson departed to lead the Mesquite Fire Department, then-Mayor Bill Hastings appointed Assistant Chief Parker as interim chief. Parker was subsequently named permanent chief.
"I think that they've not been satisfied so much with some of the outside chiefs not having the same vision that they do, so I think they're hoping by staying in-house, that's not the case," Massey said.
Massey said it was not her intention to apply for the permanent job, saying she never had the ambition to be a fire chief. But, she would not rule out applying for the position.
"Typically, the way it's gone here is they come in and they keep their administration staff, so I just kind of want to see how this goes, and maybe I fit well into the role and maybe I don't," Massey said. "I'm not sure how that's going to go."
Ward A Council Member Janet Corte described Massey as very quiet and intense about her job.
"I think she's going to be a good chief," Corte said. "The firemen respect her. They like her."
Kenneth Parker was named Katy fire chief in 2020
Parker, before becoming chief, served as assistant chief for operations, battalion chief, and captain/paramedic. He joined the Katy Fire Department in 2014.
Previously, Parker had held various roles in the Cy-Fair Fire Department. He also worked with the Village Fire Department and the Port of Houston Authority Fire Department.
In paying tribute to Parker, Thiele said he never had to worry about how the department was being run under Parker's leadership.
"He's had a long career with the city," Thiele said. "I never had to worry about anything with him there. I think the firefighters' morale has been high under him. They all respected him, and he's done a great job of just coordinating over there, making sure everyone's trained properly and interacts with the public and citizens properly. He's more than a fire chief, just a really good person."
City to search for permanent Katy fire chief The city must post the job opening, and Thiele said the city will work with a job search firm to review resumes and perform background checks on prospective candidates. Thiele did not have a timeline for the process, though Massey suggested a permanent chief might be selected after the May 2, 2025, city election, when three new council members will be elected.