Capital City Fire/Rescue recently celebrated the promotion of longtime Juneauite and acting Capt. Cheyenne Sanchez to the full rank of captain. On Wednesday, Feb. 15 there was a promotional ceremony held at Juneau Station 1 where Sanchez received his captain’s badge which was pinned by his friends and family.
According to CCFR, Sanchez started with the department as a volunteer in December 2012 before being hired on as a full-time career firefighter in May of 2015. Sanchez was then promoted to Engineer in July of 2020 and is now a Captain for Station 1 B shift.
CCFR Fire Marshal Dan Jager said the captain’s testing process is among some of the most rigorous in the department due to the many levels of responsibility.
“It’s really one of the most important positions within the department and the reason for that is they have the strongest influence on not only leading all staff, career or volunteer, but they’re also the ones that make things happen,” Jager said. “It’s just a really intensive position for making sure that not only the minimums are met by all staff but that they maintain and go above and beyond that, as well.”
Jager also said that Sanchez is not only in charge of the department’s hazmat team, but he’s also instrumental in leading the basic Firefighter 1 training. Jager said that in addition to Sanchez being a “very highly technical and competent leader,” he is well respected by his peers as well as the community and outside agencies that the department works in close association with.
“It’s a big deal for Cheyenne, he’s been studying for this for a long time. He’s been an acting captain for about nine months already, so he’s been getting the practical experience to help him as he tested and transitioned now to the permanent captain’s position,” Jager said. “We’re very grateful that he’s with us and we were able to maintain him as a captain because I think from here we’re going to see many great things from him.”
• Contact reporter Jonson Kuhn at jonson.kuhn@juneauempire.com.
Courtesy Photo / CCFR CCFR Captain Cheyenne Sanchez swears in to his new full rank of captain position during a Wednesday promotional ceremony. Sanchez has been with the department since 2012.
Courtesy Photo / CCFR CCFR Captain Cheyenne Sanchez, second from left, poses with friends and colleagues during his Wednesday promotional ceremony at Juneau Station 1.
