Sabine FD taps Gladewater chief for new role

Gregg County ESD No. 2, aka Sabine Fire Department, has recruited Mike Simmons to become its chief of operations and training chief.
It’s why the Fire Chief is on the Gladewater City Council’s agenda Thursday night. Municipal leadership and GFD personnel are already in the loop, but details are up for discussion.
“I’ll be announcing to the council in executive session that’ll I’ll probably be taking another job,” Simmons confirmed Monday. “It’s an opportunity that came up for a new position with a new and upcoming department that needs training and coaching and mentoring. Those are my passions.”
The local task is to develop Simmons’ exit strategy to ensure continuity of operations. Notably, in addition to serving as fire chief, he is also Lake Warden and Emergency Management Coordinator. Ongoing maintenance and monitoring of the Lake Gladewater Dam falls under those roles along with a myriad of other duties.
Simmons reached Kilgore Fire Department from Garland, then went on from KFD to serve as director of the Kilgore College Fire Academy before transitioning into leadership in Gladewater.
Along the way, he began working with Sabine Volunteer Fire Department, supporting Chief Richard Sisk’s efforts to create Gregg County Emergency Services District No. 2. Simmons served as president of Sisk’s board during that time, and he’s excited about the chance to continue the operation’s development in the Liberty City area.
Primary construction on Gregg County ESD No. 2 / Sabine Fire Department Station 1 was completed in Fall 2025.
“It’s a cool opportunity to be able to go to a department that I was kind of part of helping build and to come in now when they’re advancing with fulltime staffing and 24-hour coverage,” he said, “to be able to help build up the department.
“It’s a unique opportunity that’s in my wheelhouse.”
The questions and answers moving forward fall to city council members and administrators once they’ve had a chance to confer during their first meeting of Calendar Year 2026. (Find a preview of the agenda in today’s edition.)
“Will it be two weeks? Will I stay and help transition the new chief in? All of that will be discussed Thursday, and we’ll come up with a plan.”
This month marks four years Simmons has led Gladewater Fire Department.
“I was hired during some challenging times and was tasked with rebuilding and reshaping the fire department,” Simmons said, and he’s gratified it’s in great shape today: “We’ve got good people who are working there. We’re definitely strong and moving forward. I’m proud of the guys and gals.”
The team at GFD is invested in the department’s guiding philosophies, Simmons said, and they take ownership of their role in the broader community.
“The Gladewater Fire Department’s a really strong group of people who make the decision to lead tough. They’re professionals at what they do and proud of what they do. They certainly make the chief’s job easier.”