THE
EL DORADO HILLS FIRE DEPARTMENT
HONOR
GUARD
“For
Those Who Went Before”
The
El Dorado Hills Fire Department Honor Guard was
established in 2004.
Unfortunately, the need for an Honor Guard was
not realized until after the following incidents
occurred:
In 2003, off-duty Fire Captain Dan Nightengale from
Foster City Fire was involved in a fatal vehicle
accident in the El Dorado Hills area.
A few of our current Honor Guard members
responded to this tragedy.
The Nightengale family had been on vacation
when their vehicle was involved in a rollover
accident. Dan’s
wife, kids, and family dog were left without a husband
and father. This
incident hit very close to home for the rescuers.
A few months after this tragedy, the El Dorado
Hills Fire Department incurred one of their own.
On October 27, 2003, Firefighter Ryan Gabriel
Shreve lost his battle to a head injury.
His injury took place while he was enjoying his
life outside of work…much like Captain
Nightengale’s. These
two tragedies sparked the fire within several members
of the El Dorado Hills Fire Department to establish
The El Dorado Hills Fire Department Honor Guard.
We are a highly trained unit with a total of fifteen
members. Of
these fifteen, thirteen have attended the one week
Goshen Police Department Honor Guard Camp in Indiana.
We have had the opportunity of executing our
duties at many events over the years.
We have performed at the Annual California
Firefighter Memorial, El Dorado County Firefighter
Matt Keck’s funeral, Diamond Springs Fire
Investigator John Nichol’s funeral, Lake Forest
School Blue Ribbon Award Ceremony, our own Fire
Station Opening Ceremonies, the Rivercats’ baseball
game opening, local Senior luncheons and various other
venues. We
continue to train monthly at a minimum and offer our
services to those in need.
Our
Honor Guard is comprised of dedicated professionals
that thrive on representing the El Dorado Hills Fire
Department to the highest standards.
Membership has encompassed Chief Officers,
Captains, Engineers, Firefighters, and Volunteer
Firefighters. Our
members perform their duties on a voluntary,
non-compensated basis and are honored to do so.
We are the El Dorado Hills Fire
Department Honor Guard: Mark Ali, Josh Bailey, Matt
Beckett,
David Brady
, Josh Couch, Ben Cowles,
Brandon Eynck
,
Mike Gygax
,
Russ Hasemeier
,
Dale Hemstalk
,
John Johnston
, Mike Lovinger, Dan Nelson, Carmen Stiern, and Mike
Wilson.
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