Action Team
Lee Wells has taken the initiative to place a Caddo Mills Emergency Service District on the November 2026 ballot. He believes it is the correct course of action for our community and needs to be voted on by all parties affected. Lee has built an amazing team of advisors to guide the process to the ballot and beyond. With Lee’s administrative and community leadership, along with the knowledge and depth of his team, we anticipate both an educational and clear path to a successful Emergency Service District covering the greater Caddo Mills area in 2027.
Initiative Lead
Lee Wells
In the spring of 2025, Lee led an effort to raise funds for the Caddo Mills Volunteer Fire Department with a Downtown Concert Series, which raised over $44,000 for the purchase of new paramedic equipment. With these funds, the department bought a new LikePak 15, a Lucas Device, and equipped each truck with new paramedic go-bags, each bag containing state-of-the-art digital scopes, tools, and medications.
Since that time, the total has reached over $55,000 that Lee has helped facilitate in donations for the department. Although Lee is not a firefighter, he comes from a long line of dedicated firefighters across Texas. His great uncle, Lee Mayfield, was the first full-time Fire Chief of the Plano Fire Department. Several other uncles were fire chiefs, and cousins in full-time fire services. His brother-in-law is a fire chief in South Texas, and a nephew is in service with the Bedford Fire Department.
Lee cares deeply for the welfare and success of the emergency services of Caddo Mills and the surrounding area, and he is determined to see an ESD established as soon as possible.
Lee Wells is a dynamic leader, entrepreneur, pastor, and community advocate with a lifelong passion for helping others and building opportunities that strengthen his community. Over the course of his career, he has launched ten entrepreneurial initiatives—nine of them successful small businesses, each rooted in his desire to create lasting impact.
In 2011, Lee planted a church, where he continues to faithfully pastor today. His journey in business began years earlier with a construction company, which he ultimately lost during the economic downturn following September 11, 2001. Rather than being defeated, Lee turned hardship into opportunity, launching a nationwide public speaking career that kept him on the road an average of 48 weeks a year.
From there, Lee expanded into internet marketing, serving clients across North America, and later added a full-service video production division. His entrepreneurial vision continued with the founding of Wells Cattle Co. in 2017, offering premium ranch-raised beef. A year later, he opened Wells Cattle Co. Restaurant & Market in Rockwall, Texas, a ranch-to-table dining experience that quickly became a community favorite. His agricultural endeavors also led him to start an all-natural liquid feed distributorship, ensuring access to the products he believed in when no one else carried them.
An author of Burger Brilliance, Lee went on to establish Wells Ranch Publishing, helping others bring their stories to life. Most recently, he launched Lee Wells Official, his keynote speaking and coaching brand, designed to give back to the communities that have supported him throughout his journey.
In 2024, following his efforts to aid ranchers in the Texas Panhandle during record-breaking wildfires, Lee directed and produced the documentary We’re Here. He also hosts The Ranch & Table podcast, a weekly program available on YouTube and all major podcast platforms, where he shares insights on business, leadership, and life.
At the heart of all his endeavors, Lee is deeply committed to community. He is passionate about stepping up wherever needed, lending his time, talents, and resources to assist others for the betterment of those around him. Whether in business, ministry, or service, Lee Wells is dedicated to building a brighter, stronger future for his community and beyond.
Alexander Stead
Fire Chief
Caddo Mills VFD
Chief Alexander Stead began his fire service career in 2006 as a volunteer fire cadet with the Maumee Fire Department in Maumee, Ohio. He spent four years in the cadet program, gaining hands-on experience with emergency response, training, and station duties while learning the foundations of the fire service.
After graduating from Maumee High School in May 2009, Chief Stead enlisted in the United States Marine Corps, beginning his service in June 2009. He served honorably as an Aircraft Rescue Firefighter until June 2013. During his service, he held roles as a Driver/Operator and Rescue Specialist within the ARFF program, responsible for training, emergency response, aircraft familiarization, and rescue operations.
Chief Stead was stationed at Cherry Point, NC (MWSS 271), MCALF Bogue, NC (MWSS 271), and Beaufort, NC (MWSS 372). He was also deployed to Delaram II, Afghanistan, with MWSS 272, where he played a critical role in implementing a rescue task force under the ARFF program. This task force supported Army Dustoff MEDEVAC crews with extrication and patient care for service members injured in IED attacks on armored military vehicles. For his actions in Afghanistan, Chief Stead was awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal. He was honorably discharged from the Marine Corps in June 2013.
Following his military service, Chief Stead relocated to Caddo Mills, Texas, and was hired by the McKinney Fire Department in January 2014 where he currently serves as a Driver/Engineer at Station 11 on Truck 11. Chief Stead is also involved in several department committees in various roles, most notably as the Commander of the McKinney Fire Department Honor Guard. In recognition of his dedication and performance, he was awarded the Medal of Commendation and named Driver of the Year in 2023.
Chief Stead joined Caddo Mills Fire & Rescue in July 2016, bringing with him valuable training and professional standards that elevated the department. He was promoted to Captain in December 2016 and to Fire Chief in March 2017. Since then, he has overseen significant advancements, including the addition of three new apparatuses, the acquisition of Scott X3 Pro SCBAs, the implementation of gear cleaning and air fill station systems, and major station upgrades. Most importantly, Chief Stead has implemented part-time staffing and a volunteer stipend to ensure fire and first responder EMS coverage 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Chief Stead has dedicated his life to the fire service, continually striving to raise the standards of professionalism, safety, and service for both the McKinney Fire Department and Caddo Mills Fire & Rescue.
Lyle Lombard
Director of Public Safety
City of Fate, Texas
Chief Lyle Lombard has dedicated more than 32 years to public safety as a police officer, firefighter, and Emergency Medical Technician. He began his career in 1986 as a volunteer firefighter with the City of Alvarado, where he first obtained his EMT certification. He went on to serve in private EMS for Ellis, Johnson, and Tarrant Counties before joining the City of Watauga in 1992 as a Public Safety Officer. Over 22 years in Watauga, he advanced to Battalion Chief, serving in roles that included Fire Marshal, D.A.R.E. instructor, background investigator, and division leadership.
In 2014, Chief Lombard was appointed Fire Chief for the City of Portland, Texas. During his tenure, he expanded staffing, introduced new emergency response programs, and directed the city’s Emergency Operations Center through Hurricane Harvey in 2017.
Since 2018, Chief Lombard has served as the Director of Public Safety for the City of Fate, overseeing both police and fire services. Under his leadership, the city’s population, call volume, and staff have doubled. He is modernizing the fire fleet with new apparatus, adding a second station, and designing/constructing a new police building through a $15 million voter-approved bond from November 2024. Chief Lombard is guiding the department through its transition from a public safety model to traditional police and fire roles for a more focused service model.
Chief Lombard holds an Associate of Applied Science in Fire Protection from Tarrant County College and a Bachelor of Science in Fire Administration from Waldorf University. He is certified as a Master Peace Officer, Master Firefighter, and Advanced Emergency Medical Technician in the State of Texas.
Advice & Direction
Texas State Association of Fire & Emergency DIstricts
The mission of the Texas State Association of Fire and Emergency Districts is to make Texans safer by supporting the men and women of emergency services districts in the state.
Emergency services districts (ESDs) are political subdivisions of the State of Texas, like a school district or a county. As Texas outgrows the abilities of cities and rural volunteer fire departments, ESDs are on the cutting edge of providing fire protection and emergency medical response to large portions of the state. Since 2001, the State Association of Fire and Emergency Districts has been the only association dedicated to bringing these local governments together so they can work smarter and work better for Texans.
Hunt County ESD 1
Caddo Mills, TX
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