Promotion ceremony marks a special day for first responders with Glendale Fire
Eight first responders with the Glendale Fire Department received a step-up in rank on Thursday during a promotion ceremony held at Fire Station 21.
The event was attended by friends and family members of the group, and Fire Chief Silvio Lanzas was on hand to formally swear in the personnel to their new positions.
Calling it a special day, Lanzas said the event was “about eight individuals throughout the organization who will continue to lead and guide our great organization into the future.”
Sita Demirjian was promoted to senior fire environmental-safety specialist, while Ralph Chavez and Andrew Franco were inducted as fire engineers.
Lanzas said Demirjian will work within the department’s fire prevention bureau, whose goal is to “safeguard the community from fire and environmental hazards.”
Meanwhile, Chavez and Franco will be entrusted with the safe driving and maneuvering of the department’s fire engines and trucks to emergencies and other events in their roles as engineers, according to Lanzas.
Brad Boyle, Joe Flahavan and David Monheim became fire captains, while Ed Foster and Brian Murphy were promoted to battalion chiefs.
Lanzas called the fire captain position one of the most coveted and important posts in any fire department. Captains are the leaders at each individual fire station and are the initial commanders at the outset of an emergency.
“The tone set by our fire captains on scene of emergencies and around the fire station is critical to our service and our continued success,” he said.
Regarding battalion chiefs, Lanzas called them the quarterbacks of the department who oversee different fire stations under their command and who are responsible for making “critical decisions at emergency scenes” on a daily basis.
