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Arroyo Grande swears in five new 5 Cities Fire Authority firefighters and promotes two captains
Summary
The Council recognized five new firefighters who will complete an internal recruit academy and two recently promoted captains at the Jan. 28 meeting. The oath-of-office and badge presentation were led by 5 Cities Fire Authority leadership and city staff.
Arroyo Grande City Council members and residents gathered Jan. 28 to welcome five new firefighters to the 5 Cities Fire Authority and to recognize two officers promoted to captain.
The recruits — Matt Burrows, Scott Vassar, Courtney Deluru, John Hurtado and Nathaniel Morakai — are scheduled to complete an eight-week internal recruit academy on Thursday, according to 5 Cities Fire Authority leadership. Chief Hallett introduced the new hires and praised their performance during training, saying the recruits had met the agency’s standards for “integrity, compassion, professionalism, and the desire to be unselfish, dedicated public servants.”
The City’s sworn recognition included the administration of the oath of office. The ceremony also highlighted that Deluru is the fire authority’s first full‑time female firefighter and that John Hurtado is the first bilingual hire at FCFA. Two recent promotions were recognized: Matt Hendon (promoted to captain Dec. 6, 2024) and Ian Bennett (promoted to captain Nov. 2024). Operations Manager Tricia Myers conducted the badge pending and oath procedure.
City Manager Matt Downing and council members attended the event and thanked the new hires, their families and staff who ran the recruit academy. Downing noted the people dimension of public safety staffing and said the city and FCFA were proud to have the recruits join the department.
The council did not take any regulatory action tied to the presentations; the event consisted of formal introductions, the administering of oaths and the recognition of promotions. The ceremony concluded with remarks from Chief Hallett and the presentation of badges and certificates.
The recognition reflects the city’s ongoing partnership with the 5 Cities Fire Authority to staff and operate local fire response. Council members and the city manager encouraged community members to thank recruits and department staff when they see them in public.
Additional details from the ceremony: the recruits completed or previously attended regional academies (Hancock Fire Academy and other programs), Deluru cited a CASA advocate as an early mentor, and several recruits come from the Central Coast and neighboring counties. Families and department staff were present for the formalities and badge presentations.
Looking ahead, the new firefighters will finish their internal academy training this week and begin regular duties with FCFA afterward. The council and staff said more announcements about FCFA staffing and related public-safety items will be made at future meetings.
