Title: Fire Chief

Fire Chief Doug Tucker has dedicated over 40 years to the fireservice.  In 1969 he joined the Phoenix Fire Department.  As a Firefighter, he was selected along with 11 others to become the first group of Rescue Medics in the State of Arizona.  That group, affectionately known as the “Dirty Dozen”, was trained to the level  of Paramedic and went on to become the core group for the Technical Rescue Team. 

As a Paramedic Captain, he received the PFD Award of Merit for his efforts in the development, training and dedication to the High Angle & Technical Rescue Team.  He developed and led the SWAT-Medic Team and the Critical Stress Debriefing Team.  In 1981 he was awarded Paramedic of the Year. 

He went on to become the Public Information Officer and as the child drowning incidents in Arizona were the highest in the nation, he helped to develop a nationally recognized Child Drowning Prevention Program.  For these efforts, he received the PFD Award of Merit.    

In May 1994, he retired as a Division Chief of the Phoenix Fire Department.  In that same month, Chief Tucker married the lovely Kelley Adams and moved to Los Alamos to become the Assistant Chief of Operations for LAFD. Chief Tucker has a son Jim currently serving as Captain for the Phoenix Fire Department. A daughter Cindy who is a Banking  Vice President in northern California, and a son Ryan who is a Senior attending New Mexico State University studying Pre-Law.  Chief Tucker is the proud grandfather to Zack, John and Leilani.

In 1996, he was promoted to Deputy Chief of the Los Alamos Fire Department.

After the Cerro Grande Fire he received a Los Alamos Achievement Award for his actions taken before the fire to mitigate the threat of wildfire to LANL DX & ESA Divisions.  He is honored to be working with the a Fire Department which has been Accredited twice, is a ISO Class 1 Fire Department, and has received the Department of Energy’s Medal of Valor. 

 In July 2008 the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation selected Chief Tucker as the Chief Officer for the Local State Assistance Team.  This team responds to assist New Mexico Departments in the advent of a Line of Duty Death.

 In July of this year, he was selected as the Los Alamos County Fire Chief where he continues to serve with the same dedication to duty he has always given to the fire service.  He is dedicated to promoting a safety-driven fire and emergency service culture and ensuring each and every LAFD Firefighter is trained, equipped and capable of meeting the challenges in our ever changing world

Title: Deputy Fire Chief

Deputy  Chief Patrick Sleik is a highly effective Fire Service Leader with 30 years of distinguished service. In 1980 he joined the Naperville Fire Department in Illinois.  Chief Sleik has ascended through the ranks as a Firefighter, Firefighter /Paramedic, Station Commander, Lieutenant, Training Officer, Chief of Training, and Battalion Chief.

Chief Sleik states, “coming to Los Alamos has provided him the opportunity to step up to the next level in a lifelong career fire service goal, to become an executive fire officer in a highly professional, well trained fire department”.

One of the highlights of his career was working with his crew as an engine officer and saving the life of a 17 year old boy. The men of his crew were awarded the Unit Performance Award for their effort.

Change and new environments are nothing new to him. He was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and has lived in Ohio, New York, Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, and now resides here in Los Alamos.    

In May 2010, he retired as a Battalion Chief of the Naperville Fire Department.  Patrick has been married to his wife Susan for 23 years. Susan has her BSRN from Purdue University. Chief Sleik’s oldest son, Kyle, is currently a senior at Purdue University. A second son, Brandon, is a sophomore at the University of Iowa and a third son, Bryan, is junior at Naperville North High school where his first love is football. 

Patrick has attained a Master’s Degree in Business Administration (MBA) at Benedictine University in Lisle, Illinois. He also has a Bachelor’s Degree in Fire Service Management/Administration from DePaul University in Chicago, Illinois and an Associate’s Degree in Fire Service Technology from the College Of DuPage in Glen Ellyn, Illinois. Listed below are several fire service certifications.

·     Fire Officer I, II, III

·     Training Program Manager

·     Fire Service Instructor I, II, III

·     Incident Safety Officer (Nationally Certified)

·     National Fire Academy Educated

·     Emergency Management Institute (EMI) Graduate National Fire Academy

·     National Incident Management System (NIMS) Certified

·     Currently enrolled at the National Fire Academy EFO program

State of Illinois certified assessment center instructor and proctor

Title: Assistant Chief/Fire Marshal

 Assistant Chief/Fire Marshal, Michael Thompson started with the Los Alamos Fire Department at the beginning of 1992 and found his niche in both EMS and public education. As a member of the Fire department he has held the ranks of Captain, Battalion Chief, and now Assistant Chief. He has worked on several projects for the fire department including the first defibrillators deployed in the fire department, first EMS protocols, Fire station 4 and 6 remodels, new Fire Station 3, and the dart of Fires integration in Los Alamos’ Consolidated dispatch Center.

He is an EMT Intermediate Instructor/Coordinator, holds NFPA certificates as a Fire Inspector 1, and Certified Fire Protection Specialist. He has completed several courses both at the National Fire Academy and with the New Mexico Chapter of the IAAI that qualify him as a Fire Investigator in accordance with NFPA 1033 and has achieved recognition of his work experience meeting NFPA’s Fire Officer 4 requirements.

He was born in Marshalltown Iowa and grew up near Kansas City Missouri. He moved to Los Alamos in 1984 where he met and married his wife of 25 years Kelly they have one son Mick. Prior to the Fire department he worked with several contractors, Los Alamos Middle School, and obtained his GB98 General Contractor’s License. He is an avid hiker and backpacker that can be seen on any given morning walking with his two Labs Kyoto and Osaka.

Title: Assistant Chief (EMS and Training)

Assistant Chief EMS and Training Mark Sandoval was born and raised in Los Alamos and graduated from Los Alamos High School. While in school he enjoyed playing several Varsity Sports including basketball and golf. After High School he attended the University of New Mexico and New Mexico State University majoring in Business. After college, he worked in the Albuquerque area managing several successful restaurants. 

Mark joined the Los Alamos Fire Department in 1990 and was promoted to Captain in 1993 and then Battalion Chief in 1996. Some of his achievements include starting a Confined Space Rescue Program for our department, reaching the Technician level in Technical Rescue Response, coordinating and instructing the LAFD Technical Rescue Team, and authoring numerous Fire Chief Directives and Tactical Worksheets.

Mark is married with three grown children and two grandchildren. His wife Trish is a travel agent, and they enjoy traveling frequently. Their favorite destination is the Caribbean. Mark’s other interests include golf, camping, and spending time with his family.

Title: Battalion Chief (Fire and Life Safety Division)

Battalion Chief Edward “Henry” Ortiz was born in Los Alamos and raised in the Pojoaque Valley. He attend Pojoaque High School. After high school he served 5 years in the United States Navy.

Henry joined the Los Alamos Fire Department in 1991. He was promoted to Driver Engineer 1999, to Captain in 2000 and Battalion Chief in 2006. He has been a member of the Fire Prevention Team since its inception 1992. He has also served on the Fire Investigation Team.

 Henry is married with two young boys. He is a life long Boston Red Sox and Miami Dolphin fan. He also loves to play golf but his game is still a work in progress.

Title: Battalion Chief (EMS Division)

He was born in Albuquerque and raised in La Cueva located in the Jemez Mountains with a deep appreciation of the mountains and the people who lived there. He graduated Jemez Valley High School and went to school at NM State University where he studied Wildlife Science. He started his fire career in La Cueva where he literally grew up in the Fire Service because his Father was the Chief during his informative years.

 He volunteered for many years with La Cueva and Sandoval County before being hired with LACFD. From there he has promoted through the ranks in LACFD to Driver/Engineer, Captain and now Battalion Chief. He is currently in the process of obtaining his AAS in Fire Science and is a master instructor for the NM State Firefighters Academy and instruct in the many disciplines of Fire and Hazardous Materials.

He is married to Cori and has two young children, Madisen and Charlie. Both kids keep him and his wife busy with many projects and school. Justin and family enjoy the outdoors and travel.

Title: Battalion Chief (Safety Division)

 

Francisco Martinez was born in Santa Fe, New Mexico and raised in the small community of Rio En Medio in the Tesuque area. Francisco has been dedicated to the fire service since 1995.  He started out as a volunteer Firefighter with Tesuque Volunteer Fire Department.  During this time, he became certified as an EMT-Basic.

In 1999, Francisco joined the Los Alamos Fire Department (LAFD) as a firefighter.  He was promoted to Driver Engineer in 2003, Captain in 2005, and most recently to Battalion Chief in 2010.  His current assignment is as the Safety Battalion Chief. Francisco has been involved in many projects with LAFD including the Driver Engineer Program and the Respiratory Protection Program. He currently holds a variety of course certificates, including the EMT- Intermediate and is in the process of completing an AAS Degree in Fire Science.

Francisco is engaged  to Tamarra Ortiz who is a Pediatric ICU Neonatal RN, Forensic S.A.-Instructor and Assistant to Governor. They are the proud parents of a 14 year old son, Gabriel Martinez, who has been recently been accepted to the New Mexico Military Institute and will begin class this fall. During his free time, Francisco enjoys the outdoors and loves quality family time.

Title: Battalion Chief (Training Division)

Title: Battalion Chief (A Shift)

Title: Battalion Chief (B Shift)

Battalion Chief Richard Garcia was introduced to firefighting while serving with the US Navy in 1975.  After four years in the Navy, he returned to his hometown of Las Cruces, New Mexico and was hired as a Firefighter with the Department of Defense at White Sands.  After serving 14 years as a Firefighter at the White Sands Test Facility, he wanted to get out of the desert climate and get into a cooler and greener area, so he and his son moved up North and Richard was hired on with the Los Alamos County Fire Department.

Richard promoted through the ranks to his current position as Battalion Chief.  He has an Instructor Level III Certification, and is a New Mexico State Fire Academy Fire Essentials Instructor, Wildland Fire Instructor, and National Safety Council Defensive Driving Instructor.  In addition, Richard is a member of the International Society of Fire Service Instructors.  Since 1997 Richard has been instrumental in coordinating, instructing, and preparing recruits for graduation as Training Battalion Chief.  Recently, Richard was assigned B-Shift Battalion Chief.

Title: Battalion Chief (C Shift)

Glenn Trehern was raised in the Jemez area where he lived with his parents and older sister.  Firefighting has been a part of his life since the beginning as he is a second generation firefighter in Los Alamos.  His dad, Jim Trehern, retired as the D.O.E. Fire Chief after 25 years of service.
Glenn joined the Los Alamos Fire Department (LAFD) in 1989 and moved through the firefighter ranks.  He was promoted to lieutenant in 1995, Captain in 1996, and most recently to Battalion Chief in 2010 where his current assignment is Operations.   During his career, he has served as an active member of various committees and teams including Safety and TRT.  Glenn is very familiar with the Los Alamos National Lab (LANL), not only as an LAFD firefighter, but also as an employee.  He has worked at LANL since 1997 as a Chemical Engineer and a Fire Protection Specialist.  Due to this familiarity, Glenn has a strong knowledge base of both LAFD and LANL and is able to transfer that knowledge to others.
One of Glenn’s most memorable experiences was during the Cerro Grande Fire (2000) when he was the Captain in charge of a group of brave and selfless individuals who were assigned or volunteered for the most dangerous assignments in an effort to protect the town and LANL during this disaster. This group was known as “Suicide Squad” because of their willingness to put themselves at risk to get the job done. He states that “I will never forget those men that stood by my side”.  For his actions, he was honored to receive the Department of Energy Medal of Valor as well as a certificate of recognition for courage and selfless generosity from the state of New Mexico and the Los Alamos National Laboratory.
In his spare time he enjoys hunting, playing sports, working out, and spending time in the beautiful Jemez Mountains with his family. He and his wife, Elizabeth, have been married since 1991 who provides dedicated support to their family as a stay-at-home mom who is continually busy with their activities and filling their home with love.  Glenn’s greatest joy in life is being the father to three lovely daughters; Staci, Amber, and Brooke. He enjoys watching them ride their horses and compete at rodeos and rodeo queen competitions.