36 personnel promoted to rank of sergeant

In two ceremonies, held Monday, August 15 and Wednesday, August 17, the Forsyth County Fire Department promoted 36 personnel and recognized one of its battalion chiefs. Family, friends and fire department staff attended the ceremonies, which were held at the Forsyth County Public Safety Complex.

During the promotional portion of the ceremonies, 36 personnel were promoted to the rank of sergeant in the position of fire apparatus operator. Sergeant is a new classification within the Fire Department and now allows for assigning a designated and tested operator to every front-line apparatus.

Those personnel who were promoted to the rank of sergeant are: John Shaw Allen, Jeremiah Lee Anderson, William Grady Bean, Jonathan Howard Capps, William Scott Chadwick, Matthew John Clark, David Michael Cody, James Clayton Cook, Brian Ray Cornatzer, Shawn Allen Corrigan, Glen Allen Everett, Mathias Mark Groover, Brian Charles Hampton, Benjamin Patrick Hedges, Matthew John Hodge, Jason Michael Kidwell, Brian David Kozikowski, Les Garrison Leger, Lance Richard Leuliette, Kevin Bradley Lindsey, Clint Edward Lively, Michael Scott Madsen, David Luke Marden, Michael Alan McCarthy, Chad O’Neil McPherson, Stanley Thomas Moore, Brandon Paul Nash, Roy Dawson Padgett, Josh Anthony Phillips, Kenneth Darrell Phillips, Thomas Gerald Schofield, Timothy Matthew Smallwood, Tyler Jared Smith, Stephen Paul Tabaka, Christopher Dwight Warren and Jeffrey Eugene Weaver.

“This was a very important position for the fire department to add to our organizational chart,” said Division Chief Jason Shivers. “It is a position of authority that provides a critical link between the company officers and the firefighters. In the military, this position is known as a non-commissioned officer. These newly promoted sergeants will be solely responsible for their assigned engine or ladder apparatus.”

At the start of Wednesday’s ceremony, Battalion Chief Lee Parker was recognized for having completed the National Fire Academy’s Executive Fire Officer Program. The Executive Fire Officer Program provides senior fire officers with a broad perspective on various facets of fire and emergency services administration. The program’s participants enhance their professional development through resident graduate-level and upper-level college-equivalent courses and accompanying research, completed over a four-year span.

“One of the prerequisites is that each student must complete an Applied Research Project that relates to his or her organization within six months of each of the four courses,” said Fire Chief Danny Bowman. “Only individuals who have demonstrated having provided leadership with their organization may apply to participate. Battalion Chief Parker certainly exceeds all of those requirements.”

Parker has been with the department since 1998 and is retired from the Air Force Reserves.