Ignite Your Career

“When the fire chief asked for a three-year fleet study, I was able to apply concepts from my analytics class and give him everything he needed. He said, ‘I can see your MBA is paying off already.’ I really hope to keep applying what I’m learning in class and from my cohort so the fire department can be more efficient, more fiscally responsible. It doesn’t have to be done the same way it’s always been done. You can ask why. When you have the language of business behind you, you can ask the right questions and come up with the right answers.”

Shortly before Hurricane Harvey, Ruy Lozano, a 20-year veteran of the Houston Fire Department, was promoted. The former paramedic, high-rise firefighter and bilingual public information officer was appointed assistant fire chief in charge of the resource management division. That meant he oversaw the department’s infrastructure — 93 fire houses and a fleet of about 300 vehicles, including 88 fire engines, 38 ladder trucks and 100 ambulances. He was also in charge of the procurement of equipment, budgeting and strategy. During Hurricane Harvey, he had to give the chief constant updates. “I had been in the position about a month. We lost fire trucks, fire stations and equipment. There was so much damage. I thought, how do we recover? You have to have a procurement plan. It’s so important to master your business processes. I knew immediately I had to get an MBA.”