The Atlantic City Fire Department celebrated a dozen promotions last week.
Jeffrey Bird became the city's fifth battalion chief during a ceremony in Council Chambers.
There were also 11 new captains sworn in: Bryan Berthold, Victor Garofalo, Michael Giercyk, Joshua Hoag, Jeffrey Jenkins Jr., Richard Luff, Brian Maiese, Patrick McDevitt, Patrick Reynolds, Timothy Schwegman and Jamil Wilkins Sr.
“I just want this to be the best fire department it can be, and that will happen as long as these individuals stay hungry and remember what got them here,” Mayor Marty Small said. “We appreciate the service and commitment of all of our Fire Department members and look forward to watching our new captains and battalion chief continue to fight the good fight on behalf of our residents."
The new captains join 32 already in the department.
“Our duty is to protect the public, focusing on safety first, and the right leadership is critical for that,” Fire Chief Scott Evans said. “I’m confident with these promotions we have the supervision we need to set the tone for the daily operations of our department."
He said that the mayor, along with Business Administrator Anthony Swan and the state partners "have been strong advocates to the fire department, making sure we keep getting better and stronger.”
The department is also adding 23 new recruits, bringing its total to 190 members.
