VIDEO: On Tuesday at City Hall, community members, local leaders, and the Springfield Fire Department gathered for a promotions ceremony. The promotional and badge pinning ceremony was truly inspiring and included some firsts within the department. Nine men from the Springfield Fire Department got officially pinned with their new badges at City Hall on Tuesday, with so much love and support in the room. Mayor Domenic Sarno joined the department and Fire Commissioner B.J. Calvi for the ceremony.
Raeqawn Ramos started with the fire department as an intern back in 2018. He was pinned by his daughter Riley as he moved up to Permanent Mechanic. For Ramos, it’s all he ever wanted. “My pride and joy, I’m doing this for her,” Ramos said.
Tyrone Denson went from District Chief to Deputy Chief of Community Risk Reduction– the first black man to do so. He has the full support of his daughter, who pinned him in the ceremony, along with his wife and many other friends and family. Born and raised in the city of Springfield and with over 28 years of service with the department, Denson is ready to continue giving back in his new role. “All I wanna do is uplift people and just be an inspiration for others, so they become what they see here in me,” Denson said. “That’s my whole goal, you know, to give God the glory, and uplift and inspire people to move on and move up.” There are a total of 289 members of the Springfield Fire Department, and the team morale is all about the spirit of brotherhood.
Sixteen years with the department, Miguel Rivera went from District Chief to Deputy Chief of Operations, the first Latino man to serve as deputy. His favorite part of the job is the mentorship and coaching aspect, and getting to watch everyone grow together. “It’s a really tight-knit family, and just watching those guys be the leaders of tomorrow is an amazing thing,” Rivera said. In addition, three lieutenants were promoted to captains and three firefighters were promoted to lieutenants.
