ZEPHYR COVE, Nev. — Tahoe Douglas Fire Protection District recently added six new recruits after they completed Capital City Regional Fire Academy this last month.

“Like many others in 2020, attending classes and advancing one’s career was a challenge for these recruits, but they made a commitment to each other and to TDFPD that they would bond together, persevere and complete the program,” said TDFPD Fire Chief Scott Lindgren. “Individually they broke academy performance records and as a unit they consistently were at the top of the class. I couldn’t be more proud to welcome them into the TDFPD family.”

Firefighter/A-EMT Josef Almeida

Josef Almeida was born and raised in the Carson Valley. He graduated from Douglas High School in 2013 and joined the U.S. Army where he was stationed at Fort Eustis, VA.

Upon the completion of his enlistment in the military, he moved back to Northern Nevada where earned his Emergency Medical Techician (EMT) and Advanced Emergency Medical Technician (A-EMT) certifications.

Almeida worked a season for Nevada Division Forestry on wildland engines based out of Washoe Valley before joining REMSA. He’s currently in his internship for the completion of his paramedic program.

Almeida got married in June, he and wife Savannah are expecting their first child this summer.

Firefighter/A-EMT Cade Bolton

Cade Bolton has dreamed about being in the fire service since he was a kid. Bolton’s father is a Captain with Reno Fire Department where he grew up around crews and the station.

After high school, Bolton moved to Oregon and was hired by South Lane Fire as a resident firefighter/A-EMT where he earned an Associate of Applied Science (AAS) degree in Prehospital Medicine and gained training and experience.

In 2019, he applied for a position through the Northern Nevada F.I.R.E. Consortium, in an effort to move back home. TDFPD was not hiring EMTs at that time, but circled back to Bolton in 2020 when EMT positions opened.

Firefighter/Paramedic Joseph Fording

In 2012, Joseph Fording began working in Emergency Medical Services (EMS) as an EMT for special events for the City of Reno. After earning his A-EMT certification, Fording joined REMSA were he was promoted to field training officer.

In 2015, Fording joined the Nevada Army National Guard where he served as a medic. Upon completion of his initial training, he was assigned to the state Medevac Unit, completed critical care paramedic school and was certified as a flight medic.

In 2017, Fording was hired by Wimberley EMS as a paramedic, and served with the United State Army Guard in Texas for three years. Fording and wife, Leah are parents to two young boys and live in Reno.

Firefighter/Paramedic Corey McCarthy

As a Lake Tahoe local, Corey McCarthy graduated from South Lake Tahoe High School, earned a A.S. degree in Fire Technology and received his paramedic certification in from Cuesta College in San Luis Obispo.

McCarthy volunteered with Mount Shasta Fire Department and was a seasonal firefighter with Cal Fire Siskiyou Unit in Yreka, Calif. He worked as an firefighter/EMT with San Luis Obispo County Fire and served as a paramedic with San Luis Ambulance.

Firefighter/A-EMT Matthew Steventon

Matthew Steventon grew up in Porterville, Calif., where attended Monache High School and graduated from Univeristy of Nevada, Reno with an Applied Mathematics major and Civil Engineering minor.

He earned his EMT certification and began working with REMSA in 2018, and earned his A-EMT in 2019.

Steventon joined the Rifle Peak Crew with North Lake Tahoe Fire in 2017 and moved to the Slide Mountain Crew in 2018 as a lead wildland firefighter/EMT until joining TDFPD in 2020.

Steventon has worked at REMSA since 2018 and is currently completing REMSA’s paramedic program.

Firefighter/A-EMT Nolan Weintz

Northern Nevada local, Nolan Weintz grew up in Carson Valley and graduated from Douglas High School. While achieving his degree in Community Health Science Kinesiology from UNR, he worked for the Zephyr Crew in 2013, earned his EMT certification in 2018, followed with A-EMT and returned to the Zephyr Crew in 2019.

Public service runs in Weintz family. His father retired as the State of Nevada Conservation Camp program manager and his mother is a retired fire captain from Carson City Fire.