El Dorado County Fire Honors Personnel at Historic Badge Pinning Ceremony

Ceremony at Station 49 recognizes firefighters, paramedics, and leaders during a milestone moment for the District

A group of firefighters taking an oath at a ceremony, with an audience watching, outside a fire station.

Diamond Springs, Calif. , March 28, 2026 — The El Dorado County Fire Protection District proudly hosted a Badge Pinning Ceremony on Saturday, March 28, 2026, at Station 49 in Diamond Springs, recognizing newly hired firefighters and paramedics, recently promoted personnel, and employees formally transitioning into service with El Dorado County Fire Protection District from Diamond Springs - El Dorado Fire Protection District.

The event marked a significant moment in the District’s history, coming just days after the recent reorganization of the Diamond Springs–El Dorado Fire Protection District into the El Dorado County Fire Protection District. The ceremony reflected both a proud legacy of service and a unified path forward for fire and emergency services in western El Dorado County.

The ceremony opened with the presentation of the colors by the El Dorado County Professional Firefighters Honor Guard, setting a formal and respectful tone for the afternoon.

An invocation was delivered by Lloyd Ogan, Executive Director and Senior Chaplain of Sierra Chaplaincy, followed by a ceremonial blessing from John Tayaba of Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians Tribal Fire.

Speakers included:

  • Tim Cordero, Fire Chief, El Dorado County Fire Protection District
  • Shiva Frentzen, Executive Officer, El Dorado LAFCO
  • Brian Veerkamp, El Dorado County Board of Supervisors, District 3
  • Lloyd Rutherford, Director, Diamond Springs–El Dorado Fire Protection District
  • Jim Edmiston, Director, El Dorado County Fire Protection District
  • Jacob Poganski, President, El Dorado County Professional Firefighters, IAFF Local 3556
  • Spencer Morgan, President, Diamond Springs–El Dorado Professional Firefighters, IAFF Local 4291
  • Brad Gates, Fire Chief, El Dorado County Fire Protection District

Speakers reflected on the pride of the fire service, the responsibility carried with the badge, and the strength of collaboration among firefighters, paramedics, labor organizations, leadership, and the communities they serve.

The badge pinning ceremony recognized personnel across multiple categories, including firefighter badge pinning, promotional badge pinning, ceremonial badge pinning, and paramedic ambulance operator pinning.

Family members and loved ones placed badges on honorees—a longstanding fire service tradition symbolizing trust, sacrifice, and the responsibility of service.

The ceremony also recognized members who completed El Dorado County Fire's Bridge Program, highlighting the District’s continued investment in developing the next generation of firefighter-paramedics.

Personnel Recognized During the Ceremony

Ceremonial Badge Pinning

  • Inspector II Jonathan Sherwood
  • Firefighter/EMT Bradley Jones
  • Firefighter/EMT Jacob Nave
  • Engineer/EMT Christian Balderston
  • Engineer/Paramedic Beau Mollet
  • Captain/Paramedic Spencer Morgan
  • Division Chief Jack Daniels

Promotional Badge Pinning

  • Engineer/Paramedic Robert Allen
  • Engineer/Paramedic John Wheeler
  • Engineer/EMT Ryan Spiegelberg
  • Engineer/EMT Jonas Alger
  • Captain/Paramedic Justin Bautista
  • Captain/EMT Josh Land

Firefighter Badge Pinning

  • Firefighter/Paramedic Andrew Pryor *
  • Firefighter/Paramedic Brandon Juarez *
  • Firefighter/Paramedic Kyle Lopez *
  • Firefighter/Paramedic Ryan Cary *
  • Firefighter/Paramedic Isabella Stowell
  • Firefighter/Paramedic Austin Schuyler
  • Firefighter/Paramedic Micah Naler
  • Firefighter/EMT Austyn Ciampa
  • Firefighter/EMT Robert Adams
  • Firefighter/EMT Chase Pfeifer

* Denotes those who completed the El Dorado County Fire Bridge Program

Paramedic Ambulance Operator Pinning

  • Paramedic Taylor Zapata
  • Paramedic Steven Stone

Administrative Recognition

  • Katrina Daniels

El Dorado County Fire extends its congratulations to all personnel recognized during the ceremony and expresses sincere appreciation to the families, elected officials, board members, labor leaders, chaplains, and community supporters who helped make the day meaningful.

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