PALO PINTO COUNTY — Palo Pinto County Emergency Services District #1 has promoted Kent Farquhar to the newly created position of assistant fire chief, following a competitive internal hiring process aimed at setting a consistent standard for future leadership roles.
The ESD Board approved the paid position earlier this year. Chief Danny Watkins said establishing the hiring framework was a milestone for the district. “That standard’s been set and that’s the model we’re going to use moving forward,” he said.
Three applicants applied for the role, with two completing a formal assessment process that included tactical scenarios, problem-solving evaluations, and a physical test. Watkins noted that scoring was conducted by assessors from neighboring counties to ensure impartiality. “ESD 1 was not part of the scoring process,” he said. “Those scores were all accumulated, and Kent was the top guy.”
Farquhar brings two decades of fire service experience and is a certified instructor with the National Fire Academy. A former firefighter in Detroit, he most recently served as deputy chief at Santo Volunteer Fire Department and as a battalion chief within ESD 1.
“I’m out of Station 13,” Farquhar told the board during his introduction. “I recently employed with a tier one high hazard team — the only full-time team of its kind in the country. I’m in the process of stepping away from that work to focus more of my time here in the county.”
Farquhar said he sees strong potential for continued development in Palo Pinto County. “That’s why it was such an important thing for me to be here and be your assistant chief,” he said. “I truly think we can be the best county in the area.”
Hiring from within was a key component of the process, according to Watkins. Applicants were required to already hold certification as a firefighter and EMT and to be actively serving at one of the county’s stations. “Kent was one of our battalion chiefs,” he said. “Operationally, there’s not going to be a big change. The administrative side is where he’ll be growing.”
As assistant chief, Farquhar will take the lead on county-wide training efforts and help develop a standardized curriculum to support professional development across all departments. Watkins said that workload demands and an increasing number of high-priority incidents made the timing right for the new role.
“Our total calls for service are up — not just in frequency, but in intensity and duration,” Watkins said. “We’ve got to divide that workload up. He’s going to run Battalion Two, I’ll run Battalion One.”
Farquhar’s new position was announced at the July ESD1 board meeting where he accepted the new position. He also introduced and thanked his wife Rachel for supporting him throughout his career. The assistant chief took on the new role immediately, however a formal public swearing-in ceremony is planned for September.
