Hours after reports of Michael Brown's resignation as the head of FEMA, the White House named R. David Paulison as his successor.

“It's a job I'm proud to take on,” Paulison said. “… We are looking forward. There are people in the Gulf Coast still hurting in shelters and elsewhere, and we are going to take care of them.”

With his 30 years in emergency services, Paulison is a popular choice in the fire service.

“We are pleased that the administration has chosen an experienced member of the fire service and an accomplished emergency manager to handle these … important functions,” said National Fire Protection Association President James M. Shannon.

Paulison began his career as a rescue firefighter and rose through the ranks to rescue lieutenant, battalion commander, district chief of operations, division chief, assistant chief and then deputy director for administration before becoming chief of the Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Department. His emergency management experience includes Hurricane Andrew and the crash of ValuJet Flight 592.

“He has earned enormous respect from across the fire and emergency services community due to his breadth of knowledge and his strong leadership skills,” said Phil Stittleburg, president of the National Volunteer Fire Council. “These traits will serve him well.”

As the U.S. Fire Administrator, Paulison was responsible for implementing the initiatives for emergency readiness, including firefighter training and equipment in response to terrorism.

Paulison's appointment came after Brown resigned amid accusations of sluggish response. He was relieved of on-site command of Katrina relief operations by Vice Adm. Thad W. Allen of the Coast Guard.

Brown told a special congressional panel that “specific mistakes” were made in the initial federal response to Katrina, but also blamed state and local officials for government failures.

“I very strongly personally regret that I was unable to persuade Gov. [Kathleen] Blanco and Mayor [Ray] Nagin to sit down, get over their differences, and work together. I just couldn't pull that off.”

Committee Chairman Tom Davis, (R-Va.) addressed concerns over the evacuation of New Orleans, lack of order in the city and seemingly muddled communication among agencies.

“Those are not FEMA roles,” Brown responded. “FEMA doesn't evacuate communities. FEMA does not do law enforcement. FEMA does not do communications.”