Orlando Hernandez, a 28-year veteran of the fire and emergency services professions, is serving as the state fire marshal.
Hernandez has been the life safety coordinator at the Texas Department of Public Safety since 2014. He began his state career at the Texas State Fire Marshal’s Office as a fire inspector in 1992, working his way up the ranks to become director of inspections. He is a certified fire and arson investigator, peace officer, and fire safety inspector.
At the national level, Hernandez was a senior advisor on fire protection and emergency services at the National Fire Protection Association. Early in his career, he served as the Bexar County fire marshal and as the assistant fire marshal in Kendall County.
During his career, Hernandez has served as the local emergency management coordinator during six federal disaster declarations, acted as the administrator for a U.S. advisory group for the International Organization for Standardization, provided expert witness testimony on fire and safety inspections, and trained the Beijing Fire Service on fire investigations.
Hernandez has a bachelor’s degree in science, fire, and safety engineering technology from Eastern Kentucky University.