[00:00:01]
WELL. GOOD EVENING, EVERYBODY.
[1. CALL TO ORDER]
WE'RE GOING TO START THIS BADGE FITTING CEREMONY.CHIEF NIGG IS GOING TO LEAD US IN THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE.
PUT YOUR RIGHT HAND OVER YOUR HEART, CHIEF.
HERE. COUNCIL MEMBER CARDER IS OUT OF TOWN.
HERE. VERY GOOD. WE'RE GOING TO START RIGHT OFF WITH A DO WE HAVE ANY?
[4. Fire Badge Pinning Ceremony for the following Fire Personnel:]
LET'S SEE. NO. WHERE TO DO A BADGE PINNING RIGHT NOW.ISN'T IT NICE NOT TO HAVE A MASK ON? I MUST SAY, THIS IS A LONG TIME COMING.
OUR TROOPS ARE IN ORDER NOW, SOON TO OPEN STATION THREE, DOING THE PROMOTIONS WE NEEDED TO BE DONE FOR MANY YEARS.
AND WE'RE REALLY JUST TICKLED TO DEATH THAT THIS IS HAPPENING AND WE'RE INFUSING MONEY AND INFUSION OF MONEY INTO THE DEPARTMENT WITH THE GREAT LEADERSHIP OF MR. CHIEF NIGG AND ALSO THE BATTALION CHIEFS AND ALSO ALL THE STAFF CAPTAINS, ENGINEERS, ALL THE FIRE PERSONNEL. WE'RE JUST VERY EXCITED FOR THIS.
SO WE GET TO DO BADGE PAINTINGS TONIGHT.
SO THIS IS AWESOME. SO, CHIEF NIGG, YOU'VE GOT THE ENGINEERS UP HERE.
YES, PLEASE. WILL THE FAMILY PLEASE COME UP WHEN WE CALL THEIR NAMES? IF YOU COULD. COME ON, ALL OF YOU.
THE WHOLE FAMILY, EVEN IF THEY'RE SCREAMING, IT'S FINE.
JIMMY WILFONG WAS BORN AND RAISED IN THE CITY OF LA VERNE.
JIMMY ATTENDED THE UNIVERSITY OF BERN, WHERE HE ACHIEVED HIS BACHELOR'S DEGREE IN KINESIOLOGY WHILE AT ULV, JIMMY PLAYED FOR FOUR YEARS OF BASEBALL AND MET HIS WIFE, REBECCA, WHO'S HERE TONIGHT.
JIMMY HAS BEEN WITH THE LA VERNE FIRE DEPARTMENT SINCE 2010, WHERE HE BEGAN APPRENTICE FIREFIGHTER AND WAS HIRED FULL TIME IN 2012 AS A FIREFIGHTER PARAMEDIC.
JIMMY'S WIFE, REBECCA, WILL BE PLACING HIS BADGE ON HIM THIS EVENING AND IN ATTENDANCE WITH HIM ARE HIS MOTHER, KAREN.
AND HIS FOUR CHILDREN ELLA, CASEY, JAMES AND JACK.
LET ME GET SOME PICTURES HERE.
COME ON DOWN. [APPLAUSE] FAMILY, PLEASE COME UP.
FAMILY IS HERE. PLEASE COME ON UP.
NO RESEMBLANCE WHATSOEVER? NONE.
WITH HIS WIFE JAMIE AND TWO SONS JACK, 11, AND JESSIE TWO.
JASON GRADUATED FROM NEWPORT HIGH SCHOOL FROM THEN ATTENDING SAN FRANCISCO STATE UNIVERSITY, EARNING A BACHELOR'S DEGREE IN 2002 WHILE BEING A MEMBER TEAM CAPTAIN AND NCAA QUALIFIER OF THE MEN'S SWIM TEAM.
AFTER GRADUATING FROM SFSU, JASON RETURNED TO SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA TO START HIS FIRE CAREER AND BEGAN WORKING FOR [INAUDIBLE] AMBULANCE AS AN EMT.
JASON ATTENDED UCLA DANIEL FREEMAN PARAMEDIC SCHOOL IN 2005, THEN WORKING WITH AMR RANCHO AS A PARAMEDIC. JASON WAS HIRED BY RANCHO CUCAMONGA FIRE DEPARTMENT IN 2008, WHERE IT WAS PART OF THE HAZMAT AND USAR TEAMS BEFORE LEAVING FOR A BRIEF STINT WITH THE HUNTINGTON BEACH FIRE DEPARTMENT IN 2019.
JASON JOINED THE LA VERNE FIRE DEPARTMENT IN OCTOBER OF 2020.
IN JASON'S FREE TIME. HE ENJOYS SPENDING TIME WITH JAMIE AND HIS BOYS TRAVELING AT THE BEACH OR OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES.
JASON ENJOYS SURFING, SCUBA DIVING, PLAYING GOLF, SPENDING TIME WITH FRIENDS AND FAMILY.
[00:05:05]
JASON WILL BE PINNED BY HIS WIFE, JAMIE.CONGRATULATIONS. [APPLAUSE] EMMANUEL GONZALES.
COME ON DOWN. YOUR FAMILY HERE TONIGHT.
PLEASE HAVE YOUR FAMILY COME ON UP.
EMMANUEL GONZALES STARTED WORKING FOR THE LA VERNE FIRE DEPARTMENT AS A FIREFIGHTER PARAMEDIC IN APRIL OF 2020.
SINCE THEN, EMMANUEL HAS KEPT HIMSELF BUSY TAKING CLASSES AND TRYING TO EXPAND HIS KNOWLEDGE AS A FIREFIGHTER AND IS ALSO INVOLVED WITH THE AMBULANCE OPERATOR COMMITTEE THAT HAS RECENTLY HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO HIRE 12 NEW AOS TO START OFF THE NEW DEPLOYMENT MODEL FOR THE LA VERNE FIRE DEPARTMENT.
THAT'S WONDERFUL NEWS BY THE WAY.
EMMANUEL HOPES TO CONTINUE HIS EDUCATION TO HELP MAKE HIMSELF A BETTER ASSIST TO THE FIRE DEPARTMENT AND THE CITIZENS OF LA VERNE.
EMMANUEL'S MOTHER AND STEPFATHER ARE HERE WITH US TONIGHT, AND HIS MOTHER, CATHY, WILL BE PAINTING HIS BADGE.
MR. PALMER. YOUR FAMILY'S HERE.
[APPLAUSE] BRING THEM UP. THIS IS THE BEST PART. CHRIS PALMER GREW UP IN CLAREMONT AND CURRENTLY LIVES IN UPLAND.
HE HAS BEEN WITH THE LA VERNE FIRE DEPARTMENT FOR FOUR AND A HALF YEARS AND IS CURRENTLY A NEGOTIATOR FOR THE ASSOCIATION.
HIS DAD, KIRBY, HIS DAD'S WIFE TERI AND HIS MOTHER IN LAW DIANA, ARE HERE, AND HIS WIFE BRITTNEY, AND HIS THREE KIDS, LUKE, PEYTON AND JAXON WILL BE PINNING HIS BADGE.
WE'RE TICKLED TO DEATH. THIS CAN BE A GREAT, GREAT NEW BEGINNING AND KEEP PROMOTING WITHIN. IT'S THE BEST THING WE CAN DO AND IT'S THE MOST IMPORTANT THING TO DO.
AND YOUR FAMILY, BRING THEM UP.
CALIFORNIA. HE'S BEEN MARRIED TO HIS WIFE, GINA, FOR 19 YEARS, AND TOGETHER THEY HAVE FOUR CHILDREN AGES 12, TEN, SIX AND FOUR.
TRAVIS EARNED HIS BACHELOR OF ARTS FROM CAL STATE SAN BERNARDINO IN 2002 AND GRADUATED FROM MOUNT SAC FOR PT ACADEMY IN 2006.
HE WAS HIRED WITH THE LA VERNE FIRE DEPARTMENT IN 2006 AS AN APPRENTICE, THEN FULL TIME IN 2008 AS A FIREFIGHTER MEDIC AFTER COMPLETING PARAMEDIC SCHOOL.
HE WAS PROMOTED TO ENGINEER IN 2018 AND TO CAPTAIN IN JANUARY OF 2022, TOTALING 15 YEARS OF SERVICE TO DATE. TRAVIS HAS BEEN INVOLVED IN SEVERAL AREAS OF THE FIRE DEPARTMENT, INCLUDING AS AN APPARATUS COMMITTEE MEMBER.
PART OF THE PROBATIONARY FIREFIGHTER ACADEMY TRAINING CADRE AND A DEPARTMENT CPR INSTRUCTOR. HE'S ALSO SERVED FIVE YEARS ON THE LA VERNE FIREFIGHTERS ASSOCIATION'S
[00:10:02]
EXECUTIVE BOARD. TRAVIS'S FAMILY REPRESENT HIM HERE TODAY INCLUDES HIS WIFE, GINA, HIS CHILDREN RUSSEL, GRACE, [INAUDIBLE] AND RUBY, HIS PARENTS RUSSELL AND REBECCA, AND HIS SISTERS RACHEL AND KENDALL WITH THEIR FAMILIES.TRAVIS IS HONORED TO BE PINNED TODAY BY HIS FATHER, RUSSELL.
CONGRATULATIONS. [APPLAUSE] JOE MANCINO AND YOUR FAMILY.
JOE STARTED WITH THE LA VERNE FIRE DEPARTMENT IN 2003 AS A FIRE EXPLORER.
SAC ANTONIO COLLEGE FIRE ACADEMY IN 2005, WHERE HE RECEIVED THE HONOR CADET AWARD FOR GRADUATING AT THE TOP OF HIS CLASS.
JOE ALSO BECAME AN APPRENTICE FIREFIGHTER WITH LA VERNE FIRE DEPARTMENT IN 2005.
JOE GRADUATED FROM THE PARAMEDIC TRAINING INSTITUTE IN 2009, WHERE HE MADE THE DEAN'S LIST FOR OUTSTANDING MARKS.
JOE WAS HIRED ON A FULL TIME AS A FIREFIGHTER PARAMEDIC IN 2011.
WHILE WORKING AS A FIREFIGHTER, JOE RAN THE FIRE EXPLORER PROGRAM FOR THE CITY.
JOE ALSO COMPLETED TRAINING TO BECOME A TACTICAL PARAMEDIC, PARAMEDIC PRECEPTOR AND A SELF-CONTAINED BREATHING APPARATUS TECHNICIAN.
JOE PROMOTED TO FIRE ENGINEER IN 2016.
WHILE WORK AS AN ENGINEER, HE RESPONDED TO MULTIPLE MUTUAL AID REQUESTS FOR WILDLAND FIRES ACROSS THE STATE.
JOE WILL BE ASSIGNED TO FIRE STATION NUMBER THREE ON THE C SHIFT.
JOE WILL BE PINNED BY HIS WIFE DANIELLE AND THREE CHILDREN.
BLAKE, SIX, MAVERICK FIVE AND PARKER TWO.
DAVID BONANNO WAS HIRED IN 1990 AS A RESERVE FIREFIGHTER AND HAS BEEN WITH THE CITY OF LA VERNE FOR 32 YEARS OF THAT. HE HAS BEEN A FULL TIME FIREFIGHTER FOR 23 YEARS.
HE PROMOTED TO ENGINEER PARAMEDIC IN 2007.
DURING HIS TIME WITH THE FIRE DEPARTMENT.
HE HAS BEEN AN EXPLORER ADVISER, POOL SAFETY COORDINATOR, CPR AND BLS INSTRUCTOR, BEEN A MEMBER OF THE APPARATUS COMMITTEE AS WELL AS SERVED AS A NEGOTIATOR FOR THE FIRE ASSOCIATION. HE HAS BEEN MARRIED TO HIS WIFE AMY FOR 21 YEARS AND HIS TWO SONS, CONNOR AND NOLAN. TONIGHT, HIS WIFE AMY, SON NOLAN, AND MOTHER IN LAW MAUREEN AND VINCE AND DANA BONANNO. SISTER IN LAW AND SISTER IN LAW, LINDA.
YOU DIDN'T PUT THAT ON IT. OH, AND SISTER IN LAW, LINDA.
AMY WILL BE PINNING HIS BADGE . [APPLAUSE] CONGRATULATIONS. THAT'S INCREDIBLE.
CHIEF NIGG, I THINK YOU HAVE A FEW WORDS.
THANKS, MAYOR. TWO OTHER IMPORTANT MEMBERS THAT WE THAT AREN'T HERE TONIGHT, MICHAEL BENTZ AND STEPHEN BAUTISTA, ALSO PROMOTED TO ENGINEER.
AND I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE RECOGNIZE THEM AS WELL.
ONE OF THEM, I BELIEVE, ENGINEER MICHAEL BENTZ, IS HAVING A BABY AS WE SPEAK.
CORRECT. SO THAT'S AN EXCITING TIME.
[APPLAUSE] IT'S A AN EXCITING TIME LOOKING AROUND THIS ROOM AND SEEING ALL OF THE LOVE
[00:15:01]
AND THE EXCITEMENT IN THIS ROOM, I THINK IS LEAPS AND BOUNDS FROM WHERE THIS DEPARTMENT WAS WHEN I GOT HERE.WHEN I DID GET HERE, WE HAD A LOT OF WORK TO DO.
SURE. OPERATIONALLY, BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY, NOT MORE IMPORTANTLY, JUST AS JUST AS IMPORTANTLY, CULTURALLY.
AND AS WE MOVE TO RESHAPE AND REDEPLOY THIS DEPARTMENT AND SET IT OFF IN A NEW DIRECTION, THESE WERE THE MEMBERS WHO STEPPED UP IN THE FACE OF ADVERSITY AND JUMPED ON THESE PROMOTIONAL OPPORTUNITIES AND STUDIED AND WORKED HARD AND ACHIEVED THE GOALS THAT THEY STROVE FOR HERE. SO THE FACT THAT YOU GUYS ARE ALL HERE SUPPORTING THEM IS HUGE BECAUSE I'VE BEEN IN ALL OF THESE RANKS AND I CAN TELL YOU THAT THERE'S NO WAY THAT WE CAN DO IT WITHOUT THAT FAMILY SUPPORT BEHIND US.
SO THIS IS INCREDIBLY, AN INCREDIBLY PROUD MOMENT, AND I'M VERY HAPPY TO SEE EVERYBODY HERE AND SUPPORTING OUR FIRE DEPARTMENT.
AND I'LL TELL YOU WHAT, WE'RE JUST GETTING STARTED.
CONGRATULATIONS, GUYS. [APPLAUSE] YEAH. I WANT TO MAKE ONE COMMENT.
WHEN ALL OUR FIREFIGHTERS ARE OR OUR PERSONNEL OF THE CITY HAVE CHILDREN.
AS AN EMPLOYER FOR 30 PLUS YEARS, ONCE YOU HAVE CHILDREN, I ALWAYS TELL THEM, I GOT YOU.
YOU KNOW, YOU GUYS CAN STAY FOR THE CITY COUNCIL MEETING AT 6:30.
YOU KNOW, WE JUST DON'T LET ANYBODY DOWN.
BUT NO, SERIOUSLY, THANK YOU ALL FOR COMING.
YOU CAN STAY IF YOU LIKE, BUT I THINK YOU WANT TO ENJOY YOUR FAMILY.
AND CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL THE FAMILY.
CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR FIREFIGHTERS, CAPTAINS, ENGINEERS, CHIEF.
WE'LL JUST ADJOURN. WE'RE ADJOURNED AT 6:22.
THANK YOU.
* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.