Navy Region Mid-Atlantic Fire & Emergency Services: Firefighters Promoted to Captain in Ceremony

Photo By Shelby West | From left to right Captains Joshua Tomson, Rodger Hill, Jonathan Harvey, Troy Ellis and Jeremy Brown stand for a photograph with their new captain’s fire helmets. These five firefighters were promoted to captain during a promotion ceremony held at Norfolk Naval Shipyard’s (NNSY’s) Trophy Park on Monday, Feb. 1. These newly promoted captains will be assigned to NNSY and Naval Weapons Station Yorktown, Fire District 2.  

PORTSMOUTH, VIRGINIA, UNITED STATES

02.02.2021

Story by Jason Scarborough 

Norfolk Naval Shipyard

Five new captains assigned to Norfolk Naval Shipyard (NNSY) and Naval Weapons Station Yorktown, Fire District 2, were pinned in a ceremony at NNSY’s Trophy Park, Feb. 1.

The five officers are part of a class of 25 Navy Region Mid-Atlantic Fire & Emergency Services Firefighters who were promoted to Captain. Navy Region Mid-Atlantic Fire & Emergency Services is the Department of Defense (DoD) fire department that supports Navy operations on the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast coasts of the United States.

Firefighter-Paramedic Roger Hill, Firefighter-EMT Jeremy Brown, Firefighter-EMT Josh Tomon, Firefighter-EMT Jonathan Harvey, and Firefighter-Paramedic Troy Ellis were pinned with their new captain badges by family members and fire department mentors, a fire department tradition that has accompanied promotions for decades. The Fire District 2 Fire Chief, Christopher Payne, said, “The responsibility trusted to officers should weigh heavy upon each one. Officers owe it to their company members, their members’ families and the Sailors and citizens they protect, to be the best at what they do. An officer’s job can be summed up in a few words, but the job is far from simple. Before all other duties, the officers must bring their company home at the end of each shift. Training the members, maintaining accountability, and looking out for hazards is key to this success.”

These five new fire department officers have a collective total of more than 70 years of experience with Navy Region Mid-Atlantic and this recent promotion process has been the largest ever conducted in the department. These promotions provide new Captains at nearly every Navy installation in the Hampton Roads area as well as Naval Station Newport (RI), Submarine Base New London (CT), Portsmouth Naval Shipyard (Kittery, ME), and Naval Station Great Lakes (IL).

In the Hampton Roads area, Navy Region Mid-Atlantic provides fire and emergency services to Eastern Virginia naval installations with over 350 personnel, operating from 16 fire stations from North Carolina to Maine and as far west as Indiana and Illinois.

Commander Navy Region Mid-Atlantic, Fire Chief, Kevin Janney said, “All of these young men have demonstrated highly skilled technical proficiency in their various specialties, whether paramedicine, hazardous materials, or technical rescue. They have also demonstrated sound leadership abilities and are well-respected by their peers, and will serve the Navy community well as our next generation of fire officers.”

Beginning in their new roles, the five newly promoted Captains will lead a single engine or ladder company, serve as the initial incident commander of emergency responses and some will also be responsible for ambulance personnel. With new duties and responsibilities, all five newly promoted Captains left the ceremony with a renewed sense of pride as a part of Navy Region Mid-Atlantic’s largest promotion process ever conducted in the department.

• Date Taken: 02.02.2021
• Date Posted: 02.03.2021 15:34
• Story ID: 388287
• Location: PORTSMOUTH, VIRGINIA, US