During its 2026 Employee Recognition Ceremony on Thursday, October 1, Murrieta Fire & Rescue honored outstanding service, professional achievements, and dedication to the community.
The ceremony recognized employees and a fire cadet whose contributions strengthened emergency response, fire prevention, emergency medical dispatch, and department operations. Employees were also celebrated for service milestones, educational achievements, and promotions.
Fire Captain Eric Ballard was recognized as Firefighter of the Year. Ball was recognized for his leadership, professionalism, and commitment to advancing the fire service throughout nearly 30 years of service. His work in tactical medicine has supported improvements at the county, state, and national levels.
Fire Engineer Trent Moore and Firefighter/Paramedic Austin Lemoine received the Distinguished Service Award for their response to a critical pediatric trauma on June 22. Working with an AMR crew and air ambulance personnel, they demonstrated exceptional clinical judgment, adaptability, and coordination as the child’s condition and transport needs evolved.
Fire Captain Chris Brann and Fire Engineer Justin Mack received the Unit Citation Award for improvements to the department’s Respiratory Protection Program that generated more than $50,000 in savings while maintaining high program standards.
Courage Martinez as recognized as Emergency Medical Dispatcher of the Year. Martinez was recognized for exceptional performance, compassionate service, and leadership as an emergency medical dispatch mentor and communications training officer. In 2025, she earned compliance scores of at least 98% on 98% of the emergency medical dispatch calls she reviewed.
Ron Madnick was recognized as Civilian Employee of the Year. Madnick was honored for improving the reliability and availability of frontline apparatus through proactive maintenance, organization, and responsive support to emergency personnel.
Ty Bradley was recognized as Fire Cadet of the Year. The inaugural recipient of this award, Bradley, was honored for his work ethic, leadership, and dedication to the Fire Cadet Program. As a fire cadet assistant chief, Bradley mentors fellow cadets and helps lead monthly meetings.
The Community Risk Reduction team was honored with the Unit Citation Award for its Fourth of July planning, public education, proactive enforcement, and support to emergency response crews. Recipients include Doug Strosnider, James Gillespie, Jeff Bruns, Rob Steinbauer, Gabe Young, Mike Roppo, and Keli Wilcher.
The ceremony also recognized Doug Strosnider as chief of community risk reduction, welcomed Fire Marshal James Gillespie and Management Analyst Ray Lopez, and celebrated the firefighter/paramedic promotions of Raymond LaFontaine and Jacob Thiel.
Six employees were honored for earning college degrees, and 16 employees were recognized for reaching five, 10, 15, or 25 years of service.
