Council Hosts Badge Pinning Ceremony For New, Promoted Firefighters

A badge pinning ceremony for two new and two promoted career Coon Rapids firefighters took place April 5 at the Coon Rapids City Council meeting.

In addition, new career firefighters Josh Goar and Sam Snell along with promoted Battalion Chief John Fick and Fire Capt. Darin Jahnke were given their oaths of office by Mayor Jerry Koch.

Both Goar and Snell have been paid-on-call firefighters with the Coon Rapids Fire Department since 2018 and 2019, respectively, and have successfully completed the rigorous and demanding probation period, Fire Chief John Piper said, who introduced the four men.

Born in Minneapolis, Goar grew up in Andover and graduated from Anoka High School, then earned an associate degree from Anoka-Ramsey Community College, and his additional education includes Firefighter 1, Firefighter 2, HazMat and Emergency Medical Technician certifications.

Goar and his wife of 20 years have three children, Kayla, Caleb and Carson. He has coached youth sports for more than 10 years and serves as vice president of the Coon Rapids North Star Lions Club.

Snell grew up in Coon Rapids, graduated from Blaine High School in 2015 and continued his education at Anoka-Ramsey Community College and Anoka Technical College, completing his associate degree and EMT certification.

“Sam has also completed his Firefighter 1 and 2 certifications, fire apparatus operator courses and several wildland firefighting courses,” Piper said.

As a newly-promoted captain, Jahnke is responsible for the overall day-to-day operations of his assigned fire station and assumes overall responsibilities of the shift in the battalion chief’s absence.

Jahnke joined the department as a paid-on-call firefighter in 2008 and was promoted to career firefighter in 2013, but his career in emergency services started well before that, Piper said.

He is a licensed paramedic, registered nurse specializing in emergency room care and a licensed police officer working in greater Minnesota, while dedicating time to training EMTs and paramedics to work with tactical teams.

In addition, Jahnke, who has a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Minnesota, works with the Coon Rapids Fire Explorers program and is an active member of the Anoka County Specialized Rescue Team.

Jahnke has been a resident of Coon Rapids for 20 years and he and his wife, Cindy, have three children.

Newly promoted Battalion Chief Fick oversees the daily operations of his assigned shift, which includes nine staff members, all three stations and is the incident commander for critical incidents and high priority calls for service.

Fick grew up in Coon Rapids, graduated from Coon Rapids High School and started his career with the department in 1995 as a paid-on-call firefighter and was promoted to career firefighter in 2000, progressing through the ranks as acting captain, captain to his current position.

He has a bachelor’s degree in fire administration as well as degrees in fire science, emergency medical services and law enforcement. He is pursuing a master’s degree in fire executive leadership and emergency services management.

Fick is a member of the Coon Rapids North Star Lions Club, a committee member for the Coon Rapids High School all-class reunion and the community tree lighting festival, a presenter for the high school STEP program mentoring kids in firefighting as a career and a Coon Rapids Safety Camp counselor.

He and his wife Tiffany live in Coon Rapids and have three children, Amanda, Andrew and Ava.

“As fire chief, it has always been my goal to promote people from within our organization who have a strong sense of community involvement and who represent the core values of our organization and mission statement,” Piper said.

The department’s mission is to provide efficient services designed to protect lives and property from the adverse effects of fires, medical emergencies or exposure to dangerous conditions.

SOURCE: Hometown Source