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Some of the 14 Osceola County Fire Rescue members to receive promotions on Feb. 28. PHOTO/OSCEOLA COUNTY FIRE RESCUE -
A class of 16 Kissimmee Fire Department recruits, one of the largest in recent memory, was sworn in on March 5. PHOTO/KEN JACKSON
While Kissimmee Fire Department swore in one of the largest recruit classes in city history, the Osceola County Fire Rescue Department recently promoted over a dozen members of its ranks.
On Feb. 28, a promotion ceremony was held for 14 members of OCFR, including six new lieutenants and eight new engineers. Engineers Nicholas Bennett, Dylan Cooper, Brendan Davidson, Joshua Dubacher, Sebastian Moncaleano, and Kyle O’Mara received promotions to the rank of Lieutenant. Firefighters Danny Clark, Joseph Cole, Philip Fortney, Jonathan Gagliano, Joshua Gentile, Nicholas Jones, Richard Segura, and Matthew Spahn were promoted to Engineer.
The ceremony, held at the Osceola County Commission Chambers in Kissimmee, was a “pinning”—a longstanding tradition in the fire service, where friends and family of the newly promoted are invited to pin the badge and insignia of their new rank to their uniform. The ceremony follows the December administrative promotions for these personnel.
“The pinning ceremony is such a special moment for every firefighter,” said Fire Chief Larry Collier. “It can be easy with the pace of the job to just assume your new role and keep on going. Taking time to do this gives us the opportunity as a department to really recognize these milestones in our firefighters’ careers, and it gives them a moment to take it in and appreciate it with their loved ones.”
Eligibility for promotion with OSCFR is based on a number of requirements, including years of service, completion of required training, professional certification, and testing-based evaluation.
On March 5, the city of Kissimmee swore in and welcomed 16 new firefighters: Garrett Davis, Vicsama Decade, Anthony Gonzalez, Mason Harry, Sterling Shippy, Jean Charles, Carl Augustave, Neisha Rucci, Eleanor McDaniel, Darnell Burton, Gaige Harris, Brett Mazo, Benjamin Dowzall, Brandon Peterson, Ryan Schaeffer and John McKinney.
“I’ve been here 36 years, and this is the largest group that I know of we’ve ever hired at one time,” KFD Chief Jim Walls said. “They went through an extensive orientation to be ready at any time for any emergency. Our department’s motto is, ‘The finest tradition of courage, compassion and community.”
