Nearly 94% of Grapevine's firefighter union members voted no confidence in Fire Chief Darrell Brown on Friday, Aug. 14, escalating a months-long dispute over staffing cuts near some of the city's busiest commercial areas.
The Grapevine Professional Firefighters Association, Local 3113, also voted no confidence in assistant chiefs Wes Williams (87.9%) and Stuart Grant (82.2%), according to a memorandum the union posted publicly on Aug. 14.
The vote carries no official power to remove the chiefs. But it puts a public marker on a rift between frontline firefighters and city leadership that has simmered since early 2026, when the department began shifting resources toward EMS and shut down Engine 1, replacing it with a squad truck.
A central grievance: the squad truck that replaced Engine 1 carries fewer personnel and less equipment to fight a fire before a full engine arrives. The union has said that gap puts high-traffic locations at risk, naming Grapevine Mills mall, Great Wolf Lodge and nearby schools.
City manager defends chief
City Manager Bruno Rumbelow responded the same day with a statement on the city's Facebook page defending Brown and criticizing the union for going public.
"Instead of focusing their energy on the work that has made this department great – serving our residents, protecting families and working together as professionals – they have chosen to publicly malign a chief who has spent his career advocating for firefighters and building one of the finest fire departments in Texas," Rumbelow wrote.
Rumbelow said leadership requires balancing staffing, equipment, emergency response demands, taxpayer resources and safety, and that decisions should be judged by whether they are made responsibly, not by whether they are popular.
A city spokesperson declined further comment, telling the Star-Telegram: "The statement previously shared represents the city's complete response regarding this matter."
What's at stake locally
The Engine 1 dispute drew attention earlier this year when the Star-Telegram first reported in February that the union was fighting the reorganization plan. In April, the Grapevine City Council considered purchasing the Squad 1 vehicle over firefighter objections. The trade publication FireRescue1 covered the shift nationally in March, noting city officials said the EMS focus was needed to match call volume.
No formal next step has been announced. The next regular Grapevine City Council meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 1, at 7:30 p.m. at City Hall, 200 South Main St., though no fire department item has been confirmed on that agenda.
