Houston Fire Department

How to File a Complaint

The Houston Fire Department has two protocols for filing a complaint concerning the misconduct of an employee related to citizen interaction and other department activities.

Formal Complaint
In order for our office to conduct a formal investigation of your complaint, state law requires you, the complainant, to submit a written, sworn, and notarized statement detailing your account of the incident or complaint. Also, our City Legal office asks that you complete the .pdf files: to ensure that this is not a case of discrimination.

If you need assistance with notarizing your statement or completing the necessary documents, the Complaint Intake Coordinator can assist you; if you need assistance in preparing your formal affidavit, please contact the Professional Standards Office at (832) 394-6752 to set up an appointment. Upon receipt of your formalized statement, an investigation will be completed by an Investigator or appropriate personnel in our office. Depending on the conclusion results of the investigation, the Fire Chief will issue discipline. A conclusion letter will be sent to you informing you of the conclusion results.

Please return all the original documents to:

HOUSTON FIRE DEPARTMENT
Professional Standards Office
500 Jefferson Street, Suite 1980
Houston, Texas 77002
Attn: Complaint Intake Coordinator

Informal Complaint
If you feel that your case does not merit a formal complaint but would like to bring an indiscretion to our attention, you may opt to register your complaint through our Policy Awareness Program “PAP.” Please email our office at HFD-ComplaintIntake@houstontx.gov and provide a brief statement with details of the incident and the HFD member(s) involved. The information will be processed and forwarded to a PAP representative to administer and document the measures taken. The Professional Standards Office oversees the PAP to ensure the supervisor(s) and member(s) explore ways to avoid similar or more serious problems in the future. When repeated or egregious violations of HFD Rules and Regulations or Patient Care Guidelines occur, our administrative offices will direct the member’s supervisor to utilize administrative procedures for corrective action.

If you need additional information, please do not hesitate to contact our office at (832) 394-6752.