By GvilleTX Newsroom
Denison Fire Rescue Chief Kenneth Jacks is scheduled to retire Oct. 23, 2026, after five years with the department, according to a department announcement. For Gainesville and Cooke County readers, the change comes in a nearby Texoma agency whose staffing, stations and ISO insurance classification offer a comparison point for local fire protection.
Denison's fire-chief history page lists Jacks as chief from Jan. 3, 2022, to the present. The same city record shows he followed Gregg Loyd, whose tenure ended Oct. 8, 2021, and a City of Denison announcement in 2022 said Jacks had served as interim chief since October 2021 before taking the permanent post.
The city said that 2022 search drew 36 applications from 13 states, then moved through questionnaire and interview rounds before two finalists were named. Denison's announcement said Jacks had worked 27 years at the Richardson Fire Department, later served as New Braunfels fire chief through 2019 and then worked as interim fire chief in Tomball.
The retirement lands while Denison Fire Rescue carries a Class 1 Public Protection Classification, which the city says took effect Jan. 1, 2024, after an improvement from Class 3. Denison says the ISO-based classification is one factor used in fire-insurance rates and evaluates municipal fire-suppression capability. The city's January 2024 fire page listed three stations and 62 career firefighters across command, fire marshal, training, EMS and management posts.
Gainesville Fire-Rescue gives Cooke County readers the closest local comparison. Gainesville says it also responds from three stations, has 45 paid personnel and works mutual aid with volunteer departments in Cooke County. Gainesville reports an ISO Class 2 rating, and the city says Class 1 and Class 2 receive the same highest level of insurance-premium credit.
State staffing records show the Texoma departments are built at different sizes. The Texas Commission on Fire Protection's department-size report lists Sherman Fire Department with 94 appointed personnel, Denison with 82 and Gainesville with 44. Sherman Fire-Rescue's stations page lists four stations; Denison and Gainesville list three apiece in their own records.
The chief change also comes during budget and facilities work. Denison's proposed FY2027 budget lists Fire Rescue spending at roughly $11 million and includes revenue lines for ambulance service and county Fire and EMS service. Council minutes from November 2025 say a SAFER grant budget amendment would let the city hire 21 firefighters and reduce the fund balance by about $190,000. FEMA describes SAFER as a program for increasing frontline firefighter staffing through hiring, recruitment and retention, and SAM.gov's assistance listing says the FY2025 program funded more than 200 hiring awards.
Denison records also tie fire protection to facilities and water infrastructure. A 2025 request for qualifications covered renovation design for Fire Station 1 and design and construction of a new Fire Station 4. A November 2025 staff report said Denison needed to keep hydrant testing on a five-year cycle to maintain ISO 1 criteria and recommended a HydroMax USA contract for the next phase of testing, painting and minor maintenance.
National data add another point of context for rural North Texas. The U.S. Fire Administration's registry summary, updated June 11, 2026, reported career firefighters at about a third of active firefighting personnel nationwide, with volunteer and paid-per-call firefighters making up the rest. In that setting, a chief change in a career department nearby also connects to staffing and budget planning.
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