Southern Pines Fire & Rescue

Fire Chief Mike Cameron is proud to announce the promotion of Lieutenant David Velazquez to the rank of Captain.

Captain Velazquez has dedicated thirteen years to Southern Pines Fire Department and has demonstrated spectacular hard work, commitment, and leadership throughout his career. Captain Velazquez’s educational background includes 32 certifications. He also deployed in response to Hurricane Helene in 2024. He holds multiple awards including an SAR Life Saving Medal and a Hurst Green Cross.

Additionally, qualified prospective captains went through a rigorous assessment process involving a tactical live-burn scenario, an evaluation on their ability to counsel supervised personnel, a writing proficiency scenario involving construction of a simulated memorandum to Human Resources, and an evaluation of overall leadership. Southern Pines Fire Department congratulates Captain Velazquez on this achievement and looks forward to his contributions in this new role.

Update: In just less than an hour the temperature inside the truck has reached well over 100 degrees!

Can you imagine how miserable that would be to sit in there even with the windows cracked just for 5 minutes!

How high do you think the temperature will get today? Keep sharing your pictures of the display if you’re at Chick-Fil-A