4 Cal Fire battalion chiefs receive promotions
Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire Chief John R. Hawkins announced the promotion of four Cal Fire battalion chiefs to division chief on Monday morning. Chief Hawkins honored the fire service tradition of pinning collar brass on the following men:
Robert Peteren – Division Chief – Support Services
Silvio Lanzas – Division Chief – Northwest Division
Curtis Brown – Division Chief – Temecula Division
Steven Beach – Division Chief – Oak Glen Division
According to a Cal Fire release, Robert Petersen started as a firefighter with Cal Fire in San Diego in 1990. He was promoted to Fire Apparatus Engineer in 1997, and was then promoted to Fire Captain in 2005 when he transferred to Riverside County and stationed in the Blythe area. He was promoted to Battalion Chief in 2010 and held that position up until his latest promotion to Division Chief of Support Services. He’s married to his wife Crystal and has two daughters. He has an Associate’s Degree in Fire Technology, is a certified fire technology instructor and has earned several certificates in fire operations and administration.
Silvio Lanzas began his career with Cal Fire (then CDF) as a Fire Explorer in 1992 in the San Bernardino Unit. He started serving as a firefighter in Highland, Devore, Chino Hills and Yucaipa. Next he began working as a Fire Apparatus Engineer in Menifee, Sun City, Canyon Lake and Moreno Valley. Lanzas was promoted to Fire Captain and then Battalion Chief for the Moreno Valley Battalion prior to overseeing the Northwest Division, which includes unincorporated areas of Riverside County, the cities of Eastvale and Norco and the Rubidoux Community Services District, in his new role as Division Chief. He holds two Associate Degrees and is a California State-Certified Chief Officer. He married to his wife Kara and has two sons.
Curtis Brown began his career with the fire service as a member on a paid fire crew with the California Conservation Corps (CCC) from 1995-1996. He was hired as a seasonal firefighter in the Cal Fire San Diego unit in 1996 and was promoted to full-time firefighter in 2001, Helitrack Engineer and Fire Apparatus Engineer in 2004, Fire Captain in 2006 and Battalion Chief in 2012. Brown holds an Associate’s Degree with honors in Fire Technology and is in progress of completing his Bachelor’s Degree in Fire Administration. Chief Brown has earned multiple certificates and Incident Management System credentials including a certificate with honors in Fire Protection Technology. He is a certified State Fire Marshal Officer and Chief State Fire Marshal. He’s responsible for operational management and administrative oversight of the Cal Fire department in Temecula.
Steven Beach has been employed by Cal Fire for 28 years, starting his career as a firefighter in 1984 in the San Bernardino Unit. He was promoted to a limited term as Fire Apparatus Engineer in 1987 and was assigned to fire stations in San Diego, San Bernardino and San Benito/Monterey. He took over as a permanent Fire Apparatus Engineer with Cal Fire in Riverside County in 1998. In 1993, Beach was promoted to Limited Term Fire Captain and was promoted to Battalion Chief in the Lake Elsinore Battalion in 2007. Beach is now Division Chief in the Oak Glen Division, which includes unincorporated areas of Riverside County, Banning, Calimesa, Beaumont and Cal Fire/Oak Glen Conservation Camp. Beach is married to his wife Kelley and has a 15-year-old son.
