To honor the countless hours of study, preparation, months and years of sacrifice, the El Paso Fire Department honored 11 firefighters who were promoted in rank at a Promotion Ceremony on Aug. 3 at the Firefighters Hall. Fire Chief Mario D’Agostino was the Keynote Speaker.
Honored at the ceremony were FSTs Mark Avalos, Jake Canavan, Ivan Favela and Eduardo D. Gonzales, Investigators Steven A. Deucher and James E. Nicholson, Lieutenants Michael Esparza, Shawn Hanke, Luis Padilla and Jared Schmitz, Captains Albert Ponce and Fernando Valencia, Battalion Chief Dennis Redd, and Assistant Chief Terry Kebschull.
For Lt. Hanke, the Promotional Ceremony was a positive event that promotes teamwork and recognition for those individuals that strive for improvement and self-growth.
“I was happy to have my wife and children there to share the moment with me and see what kind of community the fire department is all about.”
“The promotional ceremony reminds us of what we can do together and give our families and the public we serve a chance to be part of the tradition that makes EPFD one of the top departments in the nation,” Hanke said. “I was happy to have my wife and children there to share the moment with me and see what kind of community the fire department is all about.”
The promoted firefighters receive their new rank insignia and their new rank badge, pinned by a designated family member. At the conclusion of the ceremony, the honorees renewed their Firefighter’s Oath administered by Interim Municipal Clerk Laura Prine.
EP FireWire 