Fire Department holds promotion, swearing in ceremony

By LYNETTE SOWELL

Cove Leader-Press

Two Copperas Cove firefighters were promoted to the rank of lieutenant for the Copperas Cove Fire Department, with 10 more firefighters being sworn in at a brief ceremony on Wednesday morning at the Copperas Cove Library.

Fire Chief Michael Neujahr officiated the brief yet poignant ceremony, reminding all the officers that they were part of “a time-honored tradition and a worldwide family of public servants. No matter where you go, you’re always a firefighter.”

Marcus Waechter joined the fire department on Apr. 4, 2006 and received his promotion on Oct. 4, 2014. The other new lieutenant, Jeremy Lydon, was first hired on Apr. 4, 2006 and promoted on Apr. 26, 2015. Both of these gentlemen are strong, confident fire officers. I have no doubt in their ability to lead their crews and the citizens' safety,” Neujahr said. He told Waechter the position carries a lot of responsibilities, to include being a front line leader, watching for the safety of his crew, and making sure his crew gets home.

Waechter's father pinned his new badge, and then Waechter took the oath of office.

Neujahr then talked about the newest to join the ranks of the Copperas Cove Fire Department.

“I'm proud to say they are the most dedicated and professional group of firefighters a community can ask for. Time and time again, no matter the circumstances, when the tones drop for a fire emergency call, you can rest assured that highly trained and skilled individuals are going to come to your door,” Neujahr said. “In order to be able to stand up here today and accept the recognition being a Copperas Cove Fire Department employee, they have to endure approximately 16 weeks of the fire academy, 16 weeks of an EMT school, countless clinical hours, and if they're a paramedic, you can add a whole other year of school onto that. This group of people up here, they're smart. They're learning and practicing more invasive medical procedures and administering more medications than I learned how to do back in the day, and that wasn't so long ago.”

Neujahr added that one new firefighter not present, Scott Worsdale, was recently in an accident and was unable to be there in person for the swearing in. Neujahr said he hoped Worsdale would be able to join them at the department, and that Worsdale still had a long road ahead of him.

“He's still on our roster, still our brother, and deserves to be among the ranks of the Copperas Cove Fire Department.” Worsdale's brother, Jason, stood in for him to take the oath of office in his place. Worsdale's wife was there to pin her husband's badge on her brother-in-law.