Deltona Fire Department swears in four firefighters and promotes lieutenants and an assistant chief
Loading...
Summary
At a pinning and swearing-in ceremony at the Deltona Fire Department, the city welcomed four new firefighters, promoted two lieutenants and an assistant chief, and acknowledged several retirees and elected officials.
At a swearing-in and pinning ceremony at the Deltona Fire Department, city officials, family members and department leadership gathered as the department formally swore in four new firefighters and announced promotions including two lieutenants and an assistant chief.
Fire Chief Snyder opened the ceremony with remarks about the department’s traditions and responsibilities, saying, "Tradition and history is the lifeblood of the fire department," and framed the evening as an entry point into a career of public service for the new hires.
Assistant Chief Steve Cousins introduced each person being pinned and provided brief biographical notes. The firefighters pinned and sworn in included Alex Catano (joined department April 28), Nicholas McKinney (joined April 28, 2025), Micah Tucker, and Evan Richmond (joined May 19, 2025). The ceremony also recognized the promotion of Firefighter Paramedic Micah Powell (promoted March 2025 after completing fire school) and Firefighter Paramedic Zachary Silver (promoted March 2025; prior experience in Michigan). The department promoted Daniel Booth and Roberto Rodriguez to lieutenant and named John Vaccaro as an assistant chief.
Deputy Chief Bush Wisher administered the oath. Wisher asked the new firefighters to face the crowd and shake hands with attendees, saying, in part, "...shake everybody's hands that's not your family member. Because one day, that could be somebody's life that you saved that you don't know." He then led the oath, which included supporting and defending the U.S. Constitution, the laws of the state of Florida and the ordinances of the city of Deltona.
Family members of the new firefighters participated in the pinning. The department also acknowledged several members who could not attend in person, including Division Chief Josh Sievert and Engineers Joe Brown, Robert Daughton and Noah Siebert. Deltona elected officials in attendance who were publicly recognized included Mayor Avila and Commissioners Avila Vasquez and Santiago. Retirees Roger Eckert, John Whittel, Emma Santiago and Sue Hull were also acknowledged.
The ceremony concluded with group photographs and a brief reception. Chief Snyder thanked elected officials and retirees for attending and noted the event as an opportunity to welcome the new personnel to the department’s "brotherhood and sisterhood."
