BRENHAM FIRE DEPARTMENT’S HEATH MAHLMANN ANNOUNCES RETIREMENT

  

The Brenham Fire Department is losing a longtime employee Friday but gaining a new state investigator. Deputy Fire Marshal Heath Mahlmann is retiring from the department to become one of only 16 Fire Investigators for the State Fire Marshal's Office/Fire Arson Investigations Division.

“This is the career opportunity of a lifetime. I’m pretty excited. I’ve always aspired to be an investigator and a fire marshal. This really fell into my lap. The investigator from District 4 retired; I live in that district and I was eligible to retire from the department. It all came together and has given me the chance to start a new career,” Mahlmann said.

He started his tenure with the Fire Department in 1993 as fire fighter and apparatus operator after graduating from the Fire Academy in Missouri City. He was promoted to captain in March of 2007 and holds certificates in structural firefighting, fire inspections and fire investigations. He is a Fire Service Instructor II and is a certified expert witness on arson. Mahlmann is also a commissioned peace officer, having received his certification by attending the police academy on his days off. He has been the Deputy Fire Marshal here since 2013.

“I enjoy the investigative side of arson and that’s pretty much all I’ll be doing. The way it works, if I get called to investigate a fire, I go. I will office out of the house, which makes my wife Jennifer and our three boys happy,” he said.

Mahlmann will be responsible for investigating fires in 18 counties, ranging from Austin south to Matagorda and down to Corpus Christi. At this time, Washington County isn’t included in his district, but there is talk of that changing.

“It’s right on the northern most corner of District 4, and with the contacts and friends I have here, it’s a logical move. We’ll see how that turns out. However, if I get a call to come here, I can. The State Fire Marshal’s Office is commissioned to investigate all fires within the state. We have quite a number of resources available free of charge – everything from a crime analyst on staff to canines to the investigators. There are 12 investigators assigned to a district, and four floaters – it’s a big state and we all help each other out,” he said.

And that makes Chief Ricky Boeker and Fire Marshal Alan Finke very happy.

“We’re happy for Heath and proud of him. And we’re looking forward to having his expert help if need be. He’s still part of the family,” Finke said.