Minot Fire Department swears in new firefighters, promotes officers and honors two life-saving crews

Austin Burns, a battalion chief who served as master of ceremonies, opened the event and framed it as a day to celebrate personnel and families who support them. "Today is a great day and it's one of my favorite days as a member of our organization," Burns said.

The ceremony, attended by Mayor Mark Jantzer and City Manager Tom Joyce, included oath-taking, pinning, and a series of departmental awards. "Public service is not just a job. It is a commitment to the community and to one another," Mayor Mark Jantzer said in brief remarks thanking firefighters and Minot Central Dispatch for their service.

Why it matters: The department used the event not only to recognize careers and heroism but to emphasize training and internal capacity-building. Battalion Chief Jason Babinchak described the department's recruit academy and the decision to run an inaugural in-house EMT course; he said the current recruit class is expected to be nationally registered emergency medical technicians "by June." The department also highlighted a new two-week boot camp for pumping apparatus driver operator (PATO) training intended to reduce pressure on shift crews.

New members and promotions: Recruits Micah Allis, Brady Green, and Elijah Weeder were called forward for oath and pinning. Several members completed probation and were upgraded from yellow to black helmets, including Firefighter Hunter Wolfe and Firefighter Brady Nelson; Matthew Shaneborn was noted as unable to attend. The department promoted a group to senior firefighter — cited as an important informal leadership rank — and named Captain James Doctor and Fire Marshal Aneeq Embry among officers who recited the officer's oath.

Awards and recognitions: Senior Firefighter Austin Bernson was named Firefighter of the Year for his adaptability and peer-support work. Captain Hans Christensen was named Officer of the Year (he was unable to attend). Ashley Launes, night shift supervisor, received Telecommunicator of the Year in recognition of dispatch performance. The Lori Berg Award was presented to Alec Rice.

Chief's Award and training leadership: Fire Chief Gates presented the 2026 Fire Chief's Award to Battalion Chief Austin Burns for leading development of a departmental training plan and helping manage a transition to a new records-management system. The chief credited Burns and a small team for stabilizing training operations and building a framework for continued professional development.

Life-saving citations: The department presented two life-saving awards. The first honored a Jan. 27, 2026, structure fire in which Engine 1 personnel entered an apartment without a hose line to locate and rescue an entrapped victim; Captain Travis Degley was identified as the officer who made the decision that led to the rescue and Firefighter Staples was named as the first to find and remove the victim, who was then handed to EMS and Trinity Grove personnel. The second citation recognized a cardiac-arrest response outside Barnes & Noble in which the crew — Captain Travis Degley, Senior Firefighter Jeremy Crooksall, Senior Firefighter Jason Angelo, and Firefighter Staples — performed CPR and used an automated external defibrillator to revive the patient.

Ceremony close: Battalion chiefs rang a historic engine bell three times to mark the close of the ceremony. Chief Glenn Hardy offered final remarks and attendees were invited to photos and light refreshments following the program.

The department said the event showcased both individual acts of courage and broader investments in training and internal certification; no formal policy actions or votes were taken at the ceremony.