The City Council Committee on Public Safety on Friday will consider the appointment of a new director of the Office of Emergency Management and Communications (OEMC).

Alderpeople on the committee will consider the appointment of interim OEMC Director Francisco Velez to lead the emergency management agency. Velez would succeed Jose Tirado, who left in February to take a job with the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office. 

Velez, who had been serving as deputy district chief and special events liaison for the Chicago Fire Department (CFD), has been serving as interim director since Tirado’s exit.  

“Frank is an experienced leader and someone who understands exactly what it takes to keep Chicagoans safe,” Mayor Brandon Johnson said in a Wednesday news release after introducing his appointment at the Wednesday City Council meeting. “I’m confident that he will play a critical role in helping us make Chicago the safest big city in America. I want to thank Frank for accepting this opportunity to serve the great people of our city.” 

Velez’s fire department role included assisting with daily CFD operations and advising the fire commissioner and first deputy on both administrative and operational matters. The role allowed him to work with local, state and federal partners and develop a “solid understanding of the incident command system and enhanced public safety coordination,” the mayor’s office said.  

Velez also has experience working as a licensed practical nurse, emergency medical technician and CFD paramedic. He also worked as a Chicago Fire Academy instructor for CFD paramedics, according to the mayor’s office. 

“I’m honored to be appointed to lead the men and women of the Office of Emergency Management and Communications,” Velez said in the news release. “As a veteran of the Chicago Fire Department I know the critical role that OEMC performs to keep residents, visitors and first responders safe.”

The public safety committee will meet at 10:30 a.m. in council chambers.