Manassas City Welcomes New Firefighters, Medics

Four new firefighter/medics were sworn in to service for the city of Manassas at Monday's council meeting after completing a five-week orientation and training program.

They are:

• Firefighter/Medic Matthew Heppner is originally from Riverhead, NY and currently resides in Fredericksburg. Heppner has been in the fire service since 2008.
• Firefighter/Medic William “Dean” DeJarnette was raised in Culpeper and attended the College of William and Mary whlile majoring in business finance. In 2007, he earned his EMT Basic and volunteered at the Williamsburg Fire Department, as well as Reva Volunteer Fire and Rescue. Currently, he volunteers at Culpeper Rescue as a medic.
• Firefighter/Medic Jesus Castro was raised in Alexandri. Castro began as a volunteer and shortly thereafter knew he wanted to pursue fire and rescue as a career.
• Firefighter/Medic Alexander Huys was raised in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Huys became a citizen of the United States in 1998. He began as a volunteer with Sterling Fire and after five years in fire and rescue, he can’t imagine doing anything else.

The four neophytes are currently in active service on the fire apparatus and medic units in Manassas.  They will undergo further mentoring and evaluation during their 1-year probationary period.