South Lake Tahoe Fire Rescue promotes three of its own

South Lake Tahoe Fire Rescue has promoted Kim George and Al Martinez to the rank of Captain, and Mike Taormina to the rank of Engineer. All three received their official pins and badges during a ceremony at the Lake Tahoe Airport on Friday.

"When people call us, they're having a bad day," said South Lake Tahoe Fire Rescue Chief Jeff Meston as he started Friday's ceremony.

Sometimes there are good endings, sometimes not so good and its the captain's job to help get the team back to the station and help them regroup when the outcome of a call isn't a happy one.

There were six candidates for the job of Captain for the fire department, and two were promoted during an official ceremony in front of their family, friends, co-workers and community members.

"The process was vigorous and competitive," said Meston.

The side-by-side bugle pins were given to Captains Al Martinez and Kim George along with their new captain's badges.

Martinez came out as the top candidate after a series of tests and exams. The 2014 Firefighter of the Year has been in the department since 2005 when he started as a paramedic after becoming a reserve in 2002. He is SLTFR's lead fire investigator.

George started as a firefighter/paramedic in 2001 and became an engineer in 2009. She's also the lone Registered Nurse for the department. Meston credited her for making the transition from the JPA to a fire based service a smooth one. "Kim is always someone we can count," said Meston.

"The engineer's position is a critical component of the department," said Meston as he introduced Mike Taormina. Taormina joined SLTFR in 2013 as a paramedic/firefighter as is the department's Fire Wildland Operations and Fire Adapted Community coordinator.