In April 2013, Fire Chief Mark Piland arrived in Frisco ready to lead our rapidly growing Fire Department. We are fortunate to have his 35 years of impressive experience in the City of Frisco. Chief Piland generously shared a few minutes of his time for this Spotlight.
1. Thank you, Chief Piland, for your service to the City of Frisco. You have now served as Fire Chief for the City of Frisco Fire Department for more than a year. What are you most proud of about the Frisco Fire Department?
I am most proud of our people, uniform and civilians. I receive many emails, cards, and notes of appreciation every week from our citizens in regards to the performance and kindness of our Firefighters as well as our Fire Prevention and Administrative Staff. They stand in the gap every day under often difficult conditions and situations, and do an outstanding job in delivering the best in Fire and Pre-hospital Emergency Medical care available.
2. Tell us something we may not know about a day in the life of a Frisco Fire Fighter (or about the Frisco Fire Department in general)?
That they are extremely busy! Frisco is obviously a growing community and our calls for service are seeing an 18% increase. They also have many collateral duties outside of Emergency Response such as Fire Safety Inspections, Pre-Fire Planning, Community and Public Education in neighborhoods, as well as participating in Safety Town. They are also responsible for ongoing Fire and EMS Training outside of our formal training programs. Fire Station maintenance and equipment maintenance are also part of their daily activities.
3. What is your most important message to the citizens of Frisco, Texas (i.e. what can we do to support the Fire Department… or share your top fire prevention/traffic tips)?
The heart of any Fire Department is Fire Prevention, and we have a great group of leaders and Fire Prevention professionals that conduct fire inspections, review building plans, and keep our firefighters and citizens safe by preventing fires. An Important message to our citizens is to ensure their smoke detectors are always working and have fresh batteries. Smoke Detectors do save lives; every home should have working smoke detectors and an escape plan for the family in the event of a fire or emergency.
4. We hope your family has felt welcome here, following your move from Florida. How have you all enjoyed Frisco, Texas?
We love Frisco and the welcoming nature of Texans. Everyone from city staff, firefighters and citizens, has really made me and my family feel welcomed here. My sister, husband and their sons live in San Antonio so I have had an opportunity to see them several times since our arrival as well. It’s been a great transition from Florida and we look forward to many years here in Frisco.
5. We would love to know more about you, Chief Piland. When you’re not on duty, what do you like to do with your time?
Like most, I love spending time with my family and friends and try to balance my time to accomplish this (don’t fact check that with my wife!). I also like to play a little golf but have not had much time to do that since my arrival. In addition, I love to teach leadership to current and future officers. I enjoy books on leadership by John Maxwell, and many other authors as well.
Lifestyle Frisco would like to thank Fire Chief Mark Piland, and the entire team of fire and emergency personnel, for their selfless commitment to the citizens of Frisco, Texas.