01/22/2026

Richard Lawhorn

Richard Lawhorn, Chief of Emergency Operations
Harris County Fire Marshall's Office

SESSION
Emergency Response & Security Track | Wednesday, June 3 | 3:00 to 4:00
"Multi-Agency Response to a Pipeline Suicide"


ABOUT RICHARD 
Richard Lawhorn serves as the Hazardous Materials Chief of the Harris County Hazardous Materials Response Team. Richard has been with Harris County over 22 years and is responsible for overall Hazardous Materials Team operations. Prior to the fire marshal’s office, Richard worked for over 16 years in industry for companies such as Rollins, Tenneco, and Enron in both Operations and Emergency Response.

Richard has also served his community by volunteering with the Pasadena Fire Department for over 28 years retiring as Assistant Chief.   Chief Lawhorn is certified as a Texas Commission on Fire Protection (TCFP) Advanced firefighter and Inspector, Pro-Board NFPA 1081 Industrial Firefighter, SFFMA Advanced Volunteer Firefighter, Certified Industrial Emergency Response Specialist (Texas A&M/TEEX), as well as serving on the TCFP Ad-HOC Curriculum Committee. 

Most recently, Chief Lawhorn served as the 2022 Channel Industries Mutual Aid (CIMA) Chairman and as the 2023 CIMA Steering Committee Chairman. CIMA is the largest mutual aid cooperative of its kind with the joining together of chemical, petrochemical, municipal, and governmental agencies responding to industrial emergencies on the Houston Ship Channel.