La Verne Firefighters Recognized By City, Department

Several members of the La Verne Fire Department were recognized during a badge pining and promotion ceremony held during Monday’s city council meeting.

The honorees and their new positions are listed with biographical information provided by the city.

Battalion Chief Mike Thompson
Thompson began his career with the La Verne in June, 1984, as one of the original six firefighter/paramedics hired by the city. In 1994, after serving in the Fire Engineer position for six months, he was promoted to fire captain. In July 2012, Mike was selected to as Acting Battalion Chief after Chief Jankowski’s appointment as interim Fire Chief.

On May 5 Thompson received permanent appointment to his position. The battalion chief is the department’s training officer and emergency medical services coordinator. He holds an associate’s degree in emergency medical services from Mt. San Antonio College. He and his wife Janna live in San Diego. They have five children, Justin, Jason, Kristen, Lauren, and Ashley.
 
Firefighter/Paramedic Andrew Glaze
Glaze grew up in Redlands where he currently lives with wife Jennifer and their 2-year-old son Hayden. He attended the fire academy at Crafton Hills College in 2009, and graduated from the NCTI Paramedic Program in 2012. He earned a bachelor’s degree in business from Skidmore College in New York.

Prior to working in La Verne, Glaze worked with the San Bernardino County Fire Department as a firefighter/paramedic for 1½ years.

Firefighter/Paramedic Adrian Villarreal
Villareal was born and raised in Rancho Cucamonga. In 2009, he attended the fire academy at Mt. San Antonio College where he earned an Associate’s Degree. He also received a certificate from the Paramedic Training Institute in 2012. Adrian has been an Apprentice Firefighter for La Verne since 2010.