Following the recent retirement of the Deputy Senior Fire Officer Adrian Hernandez a number of promotions have been announced at the Airport Fire & Rescue Service. 

Firefighter Norman Apap has been promoted to Leading Firefighter. He joined the Fire Service in 2003 and is a qualified Hydraulic Cutting Equipment Technician, an Emergency Response Driver Training Instructor and has responsibility for coordinating fire vehicle fleet maintenance records. Leading Firefighter Apap assumes his new operational duties on Red Watch. 

Leading Firefighter Daniel Cabezutto has been promoted to Sub Officer. Since joining in 2009 he has become a qualified Instructor for Fire Service Physical Training, Road Traffic Incidents as well as a Hydraulic Cutting Equipment Technician. He is also a qualified Hazardous Materials Incident First Responder, Breathing Apparatus Instructor and Servicer. In his new role he will be the Operations Commander and 2 I/C (Second-in-Command) on Red Watch. 

Sub Officer Jamie Linares has been promoted to Station Officer. Having joined the Fire Service in 2012 he has since qualified as Instructor for Breathing Apparatus, Road Traffic Collision and Working at Height. He also attended the LNG Awareness and Incident Command Course in Rotterdam and very recently undertook the Multi-Agency Gold Incident Command (MAGIC) course. Station Officer Linares has already taken up his duties as Officer in Command of White Watch. 

Station Officer Ernest Romero has been promoted to Assistant Divisional Officer (ADO) and takes on the role of Deputy Senior Fire Officer. This Senior Management post encompasses a varied range of responsibilities which include overseeing Organisational Compliance with the mandated Aviation Regulations, Operations and Training, as well as Professional Standards and Quality Assurance amongst other matters in his portfolio. ADO Romero joined the Fire Service in 2003 and has undertaken an extensive number of courses which, together with his experience, will serve him well in his new role. 

AFRS Senior Fire Officer Nicky Vinales commented: “These promotions demonstrate the progressive investment in our personnel who continue to develop professionally within the organisation at all levels. This is yet another phase of our structured succession planning for the AFRS Team going forward and I have no doubt that these officers will collectively further enhance our operational output with the very broad variety of skills and expertise they bring.” 

The AFRS Management Team extends its congratulations to all the newly promoted officers and wishes them continued success in their careers going forward. The Team also extends its best wishes ex-ADO Adrian Hernandez in his retirement marking the end of a distinguished Fire Service career spanning just over 29 years. 

Minister with responsibility for the AFRS, Leslie Bruzon, commented: “The recent promotions are a well-deserved recognition of the dedication, expertise and leadership shown by members of the Airport Fire and Rescue Service. Their hard work plays a vital role in ensuring the safety of passengers and staff in daily operations at the airfield and in the wider community beyond. I extend my sincere congratulations and thanks to each individual for their continued commitment to personal development and excellence.”