Lewisville names new fire chief

Lewisville City Manager Donna Barron announced that Assistant Fire Chief Mark McNeal has been selected as the new fire chief for the Lewisville Fire Department.

McNeal succeeds Chief Tim Tittle, who passed away in January after a long fight against cancer.

“I am grateful to Chief Tittle for seeing something in me and giving me the opportunity to develop,” McNeal said. “I am humbled to be given this opportunity and look forward to serving the men and women of the Lewisville Fire Department and the people of our community.”

McNeal has more than 28 years of firefighting experience, according to a news release from the city of Lewisville. He began his career with LFD in 1992 as a firefighter/EMT. He earned his paramedic certification in 1995, was promoted to driver/engineer in1997, promoted to captain in 2000, promoted to division chief of training in 2013, and appointed assistant chief of operations in 2014.

“Mark McNeal is a dedicated public servant that led our department through the heartbreaking loss of our chief and now the challenge of COVID-19,” Barron said. “He has proven to me that he is a true servant leader dedicated to the Lewisville Fire Department and the Lewisville community.”

McNeal has a bachelor’s degree in Fire Administration and is a Texas Commission on Fire Protection Master Firefighter and Fire Officer IV. Lewisville was his first department job, but he also worked as a volunteer firefighter in his hometown of Sanger for a few years after hiring on with Lewisville, according to the city.

“The Lewisville Fire Department has evolved over the years to meet the needs of the communities we serve,” McNeal said. “I am especially thankful to the men and women of the Lewisville Fire Department for the support and encouragement they have given me and want them to know that I am here to serve them and look forward to what this department will accomplish in the future.”

McNeal has been married to his wife, Kim, for 30 years. They have five children and one grandchild. McNeal officially assumed the position of fire chief on March 25.