Community

Maricopa’s Fire Department doubles its response team

Dec 9, 2005

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"There is no such thing as a firefighter 50% of the time. We expect 100% every day," Fire Chief Bill Kelleher told the packed room at Tuesday night's swearing-in ceremony. The Maricopa Fire Department welcomed 12 new members during the event.

The evening began with a slideshow documentary of the five-day training academy completed by each of the new hires during the previous week. The focus of the training was to familiarize the men with the Maricopa Fire Department and its equipment.

"There is no such thing as a rural fire department anymore," said Kelleher. The department plans to double in size by this time next year to keep up with the growth of the city.

"I expect this to be the best fire department in Arizona," Kelleher stated. "This department has some of the finest men and women I have worked with in 50 years. I couldn't be happier or prouder; the Maricopa Fire Department now comes first in my heart."

The new firefighters are: Aaron Ray, Chip Wright, Matthew Bradbeer, Chris Bollinger, Antonio Luna, Anthony Verespe, Tom Reid, Dusty Jenkins, Luke Demler, Nathan Maxcy, Chris Hertzog and Joe Pawlows.

The ceremony also included the promotion of three firefighters. Mark Boys, Jim Wise, and Wade Brannon were all promoted to Captain. Captain Dan Ashton and the newly promoted Captain Wise were both given certificates of acknowledgement for their work in putting together the training academy.

At the conclusion of the evening, the department paid tribute to all fallen firefighters by ringing the new Maricopa Fire Department Memorial Bell and standing for a rendition of "Amazing Grace" played on the bagpipes by Eric Landau.