8 FIREFIGHTERS
First female firefighter, second staffed engine among new hires
There were many milestones when the Suisun City Fire Department hosted a badge-pinning ceremony for eight of its newest crew members Friday.
The addition of three engineers, three captains and one new division chief brought the department its second staffed engine, allowing it to more promptly respond to calls for service. It also achieved a milestone in the hiring of engineer Jian Eddinger as the city's first full-time female firefighter.
Eddinger joins fellow new engineers Luis Rivera and Jason Vander Meer, new captains Ryan Esparza, Dean Martin and Japen Soto and Division Chief Brian Kermoade, who was promoted from captain. All were sworn in at Tuesday's City Council meeting, and their badges were pinned by family members at a Friday ceremony held at the Ray & Joan Kroc Corps Community Center.
Fire Chief Brad Lopez said a lot has happened in the last five years to make Friday's ceremony possible. In that time, he emphasized that the department has experienced a nearly 42% increase in calls for service. Since 2019, he said the council has focused funding resources, primarily from Measure S, to upgrade the department from a “Basic Life Support agency” to an “Advanced Life Support agency,” which he said has provided “a more effective response to fires and a greater level of emergencylevel care to our citizens.”
In June, the council approved one new division chief position as well as three engineers and captains each. In December, a second staffed engine company was officially placed into service.
Lopez praised the council for making “a significant investment in providing for additional staffing for the Fire Department to better serve our community.” He included former Mayor Lori Wilson and former Councilwoman Wanda Williams, who have since been elected to the California Assembly and Solano County Board of Supervisors respectively, in achieving that.
Mayor Alma Hernandez called the milestone “years in the making.”
“The journey here actually required quite a level of advocacy from our fire personnel themselves,” she said. “As a resident, I was already attending council meetings in which fire members were advocating for the need for more firefighters for our city.”
Hernandez said this became apparent after she was elected to the council and arrived at the scene of a fire downtown.
“Having the fire staff actually explain every single role and actually explain what I was looking at and the need for more personnel on staff really opened my eyes about the level of
advocacy we needed to do on City Council,” she said. “Today, we are here to welcome you and also to wish you the best of success as you go out and represent our Fire Department, our city and hold hands of those who need you most in some of the most dramatic times in their lives.”
Capt. Aaron Leming, also president of Suisun City Professional Firefighters' Association, thanked the city for listening to personnel's staffing requests.
“Adding more personnel to the front lines day to day has been monumental,” he said. “The citizens will truly benefit from the added staff and staffing that second engine.”
Lopez said being a firefighter can be daunting.
“Many spent years dedicating themselves to achieving their education, training and gaining experience as a volunteer, reserve firefighter or working as an EMT or paramedic with a private ambulance company,” he said. “Often these individuals sacrifice their time and family life to achieve their goals. They have embraced the values of being a public servant and helping their community.
Lopez said the new hires and promotions have allowed the department to double its fire suppression staff. He also said the addition of Eddinger was a huge achievement.
“Women represent only 9% of U.S .firefighters,” he said. “As fire chief, I feel it's important that we create pathways to encourage more women in our profession and diversify our workforce to better represent the communities they serve.”
Overall, Lopez said he was proud.
“I am proud of the men and women of this organization who continue to demonstrate dedication, courage, perseverance and serving our community,” he said. “I am very excited about the future and direction that this Fire Department is headed.”
One by one, each new firefighter went on the stage and had their badges pinned by family members. After each badge-pinning, the firefighters rang a bell, which Lopez said symbolized the days when firefighters rang a bell to indicate the start of a shift, completion of a call for service and return of a unit to the station.