Mario D’Agostino appointed interim El Paso Fire Chief

City Manager Tommy Gonzalez announced the appointment of Mario D’Agostino as the Interim Fire Chief of the El Paso Fire Department.

D’Agostino, the current Assistant Chief, was one of several “highly qualified candidates from within the fire department,” city officials said.

“D’Agostino did rise to the top with his extensive knowledge in both operations and administration. I’m confident he will ensure the department continues to deliver outstanding service to the El Paso community,” Gonzalez said.

“I know the decision was not an easy one for City Manager due to the great number of qualified candidates within the Department. I am proud to say that the El Paso Fire Department will remain on its path of excellence by having one of their own continue to lead this great department,” Mayor Oscar Leeser said in a statement emailed to ABC-7.

D’Agostino started his career with the El Paso Fire Department in 1992. He has a bachelor’s degree in Fire Science as well as a Master of Business Administration/Public Administration from Columbia Southern University. He was accepted into the National Fire Academy’s Executive Fire Officer Program, the city said.

The City Manager will work closely with D’Agostino before making a determination on who will take over the department on a permanent basis.

In November, Sam Peña announced he was retiring as the City of El Paso’s fire chief. Peña was hired by the city of Houston to lead its fire department.