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First Responder
Queen Creek fire celebrates promotions
Town of Queen Creek
The Queen Creek Fire and Medical Department recently held a ceremony to recognize personnel who have been promoted over the past year.
Posted
The Queen Creek Fire and Medical Department recently hosted a ceremony for employees who have been promoted since July 1, 2023.
“This ceremonial promotional ceremony recognizes the dedication and commitment of our membership,” QCFMD Chief Vance Gray stated in a press release. “Many of these individuals were officially promoted months ago, serving our community with compassion in a new role for months before being recognized. This selfless service is what the Queen Creek Fire and Medical Department stands for – keeping the community and one another safe.”
In the last fiscal year, 25 employees were promoted:
Anthony Klenner, Battalion Chief
Jason Mertlich, Battalion Chief
Dallas Pardo, Battalion Chief
David Vilt, Battalion Chief
Cesar Urena, Captain
Matt Highstreet, Captain
Peter Minder, Captain
Nick Hansen, Captain
Micah Thompson, Captain
Matt Bailey, Captain
Stephen Dotson, Captain
Jason Spann, Captain
Dan Shearer, Captain
Ryan Denning, Engineer
Matt Araiza, Engineer
Jake Hansen, Engineer
Shane Melvin, Engineer
Declan Wall, Engineer
Edgar Febres, Firefighter
Brian Olsen, Firefighter
Edward Malone, Firefighter
Michal Dodt, Firefighter
Mitch Vankempen, Firefighter
Justin Hamblin, Firefighter
George Cyrus, Firefighter
The battalion chief is responsible for supervising the five fire stations, including the trucks and personnel assigned to the stations. They act as the incident commander on major incidents and are also responsible for various administrative duties, the release stated.
The captain is responsible for directly supervising a station and the personnel assigned to the truck and medic unit. In addition to serving as the first responders to an incident, fire captains are responsible for ensuring their crew completes necessary daily paperwork, fire and physical training, hydrant inspections and business inspections.
In addition to safely operating the fire engine in high stress situations, the engineer is also responsible for inspecting the engine and optimizing the efficiency of the engine on a call with proper placement. Fire engineers are very familiar with the roadways to ensure the quickest route during an emergency, the release stated.
QCFMD follows a paramilitary structure with firefighters and engineers reporting to the captain and captains reporting to the on-duty battalion chief. QCFMD currently consists of five fire stations, with ambulance units and medics at four of the five stations.
