Our Staff
Fire Chief: Jerod Vontz
Chief Vontz was named the Pecan Grove Vol. Fire Department Fire Chief on April 1, 2022. His career in Emergency Services started with the Pecan Grove VFD in 1993, where he quickly realized his love for emergency services and pursued a career in public safety. He worked for Nalco/Exxon Energy Company as a member of the Emergency Response Team, then joined the Sugar Land Fire Department in 1999 where he continues to serve today as an Operations Battalion Chief. Chief Vontz has provided extensive training for the department, including driver training, hazmat training, fire suppression, and incident management. He also developed the response roles of apparatus for Sugar Land Fire-EMS.
Jerod is currently a member of the San Jac Incident Management Team, Texas Fire Chiefs Assoc., International Assoc. of Fire Chiefs, National Fire Academy Alumni, and an ARFF Ad Hoc Committee member of the Texas Commission on Fire Protection. He also holds numerous certifications including Master Firefighter, Hazmat Technician, EMT-Intermediate, Fire Officer II, Driver Operator, Incident Safety Officer and Instructor III, to name a few. He is also a lead instructor for the Wharton County Jr. College and serves as the Asst. Coordinator of the Fire Academy.
Chief Vontz has resided in Pecan Grove for over 30 years. He and his wonderful wife, Jennifer, have been married since 2002 and raised their four sons in this community.
Finance Business Administrator - Cassie Lee
Cassie Lee joined the Pecan Grove Volunteer Fire Department in February 2025. Originally from Northern Colorado, she was raised in a firefighting household by her mother and father—her father served over 30 years in the fire service and retired as a Lieutenant, instilling in her a strong sense of duty, leadership, and integrity from an early age.
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Cassie attended Kansas Wesleyan University, where she played collegiate volleyball and earned her bachelor’s degree in just three years. Following graduation, she relocated to Texas to be with her fiancé. The couple married in 2019 and now have a son.
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Cassie Lee values the strong sense of family and community that defines the Pecan Grove Volunteer Fire Department. She has taken pride in witnessing the department’s growth and development over the last several years and is enthusiastic about its future. Cassie is honored to work alongside the members of the department and is committed to contributing to the department’s continued success.
Asst. Fire Chief of Administration - William Hoft
William Hoft has been with the Pecan Grove Volunteer Fire Department since 2004. He currently works for a fire & life safety company in the Cypress area as the Inspections Manager.
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William currently holds certifications with the Texas Commission on Fire Protection as a Structural Fire Fighter, Wild Land Fire Fighter & HazMat Awareness. He completed Fire Instructor I & Fire Officer I with Wharton County Junior College in 2013. William is also an Emergency Medical Technician - Basic with the Texas Department of Health.
He and his fiancé Kristin and their three children have lived in the Pecan Grove community since 2010.
One of his favorite parts with PGVFD is the family atmosphere and the camaraderie shared amongst all members of the department.
Asst. Chief of Operations - James Serrano
James Serrano has been with the Pecan Grove Volunteer Fire Department since 1996. He began his fire career as a volunteer firefighter with the City of Richmond Fire Department in 1992 where he eventually joined the staff as a full-time firefighter in 1994. After 11 years of service with the Richmond Fire Department, James joined the staff at Sugar Land Fire Department in 2003 where he continues to serve today as the Fire Marshal/Assistant Chief of Fire Prevention.
James earned an Associate’s Degree in Fire Science Technology in 2009 from Lone Star College and a Bachelor’s Degree in Emergency Management Administration from West Texas A&M University in 2014. He currently holds certifications with the Texas Commission on Fire Protection as a Master Structural Firefighter, Fire Inspector, Fire Investigator and Fire Instructor ll. James is also an Advanced Emergency Medical Technician.
He has been married to his wonderful wife, Naomi Serrano, since 1993 and they have raised two children, a son named Christopher and a daughter named Julia.
EMS Captain: Denise Davis
Denise Davis has been with Pecan Grove Volunteer Fire Department since 2001. She retired from her full-time job as a Flight Nurse/ Paramedic with Memorial Hermann Hospital approximately five years ago. She has over thirty years of experience in the fire, emergency, and hospital critical care services.
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Denise is a registered nurse, Certified Flight Registered Nurse (CFRN), licensed paramedic, and basic certified firefighter. She has Associate’s and Bachelor’s degrees in nursing, and a Master’s degree in Emergency and Disaster Management. She is an ordained minister and is currently pursuing a degree of Divinity from a Christian Leaders University.
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She has been married to her husband, Del since 1994. They have a blended family with a total of six children and nine grandchildren. In addition to serving with Pecan Grove Fire Department, Denise leads medical mission trips to various parts of the world including India and the Middle East. She was with one of the first international rescue teams to help in Haiti following their earthquake in 2010. She is also the director for her church’s medical team.
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Denise and her family have lived in Pecan Grove for many years and she considers it an honor and a privilege to be able to serve friends and neighbors in Pecan Grove and surrounding areas.
Administrative Captain - Michael Rodgers
Information coming soon...​
Training Captain - Robert Lyon
Robert Lyon has been with the Pecan Grove Volunteer Fire Department since 2022. He currently works full-time at a technology company and holds multiple part-time positions in EMS.
Robert currently holds certification with the Texas Commission on Fire Protection as a Structural Firefighter. He is also an Advanced Emergency Medical Technician with the Texas Department of State Health Services. Robert obtained a Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration from the University of Houston in 2023.
Robert greatly appreciates the family-like environment at PGVFD and his role in helping new volunteers to become full-fledged firefighters and EMTs. Outside of the department, he also enjoys spending time working on cars and other projects around the house.