Health & Safety

La Marque Fire Department Names New Fire Chief & Fire Marshal

Fire Chief, David Merryman

Fire Marshal Brennan Briggs

Chief Merryman started volunteering for the Channelview Fire Department when he was 15 years old. He enrolled in paramedic school, and at age 23, Merryman was promoted to paramedic supervisor for the City of Pasadena, where he served for 16 years. In 2013, Merryman joined the La Marque Fire Department, where he worked his way up the ladder. Merryman used his Child Safety Seat Technician certification to start the first and only place to offer child car seat checks in Galveston County.

Fire Marshal Briggs has been in the fire service for 14 years. Briggs got his GED in 2008 after being homeschooled while onboard his parents 50 foot sailboat while traveling around Mexico, Central and South America. Briggs attended the League City Volunteer Fire Academy in 2008 and is currently attending the Peace Officer Academy at the College of the Mainland. Before taking the La Marque Fire Department position in 2019, Briggs was Deputy Fire Marshal in La Porte.

Fire Dept. Honors Captain “Turbo”

The LMFD patch displayed on Engine 2 is now hanging in the main hallway at Fire Station 1 as a daily reminder of their gone but never forgotten brother.

On August 5, 2021, at the age of 31, Jesse "Turbo" Turrubiate, a La Marque Fire Dept. Captain, passed away after battling COVID for over a month. The father of three joined the LMFD in 2019. "He had a smile that was infectious," Fire Chief David Merryman said. "He just excelled at all the traits of a company officer." The plaque and tree were a project that Jesse's wife Randi Turrubiate developed. After working with the County, Randi decided to have the monument in Carbide Park next to the playground where Jesse often took their kids to play.

"As Jesse's Fire Department family, we were present the day the dedication was made along with his close family members and friends," says Fire Marshal Briggs.