Golden Valley Fire promotes Battalion Chief

Fire Chief Thomas O’Donohue announced the promotion of long time Fire Captain David Martin to the rank of Battalion Chief. Battalion Chief Martin joined the Fire District as a volunteer at the age of 16, leaving briefly to work for the California Division of Forestry before returning and becoming a full-time employee as of 1993. David ultimately served this organization for about 20-years, working his way through the ranks. As part of his regular duties B/C Martin will handle all the shift captains, Inmate Management program, Out of District contracts, Network / Information Technology (IT) maintenance, Radio Communication program, 911 Dispatch Center Liaison and the Wildland program to include statewide and out of state fire mobilizations.  

Chief O’Donohue stated the District is working on a structured succession planning program to assure future leadership roles are filled from within the organization whenever possible following an aggressive on the job training program in conjunction with college and training at the National Fire Academy in Emmitsburg, MD to produce a strong successful leadership model.   

O’Donohue added: “It’s one of a Fire Chief’s proudest moments to see today’s Firefighters educated and mentored to produce tomorrow’s leadership from right here within the Golden Valley Fire District.”   Battalion Chief Martin has been serving as an Administrative Captain for over a year while the District was conducting a national search for an assistant fire chief, which was filled by Ted Martin in October of 2011.