New Rocky River fire station will welcome new faces.

Community NewsRocky River Fire Cheif Aaron Lenart watches as De'Jonte (D.J.) Lawrence is badged by his mother, Venus, at the ceremony on July 27, 2026.Kathleen Barnard, special to cleveland.comBy Kathleen Barnard, special to cleveland.comROCKY RIVER, Oh. - The Rocky River Fire Department held a swearing-in and promotion ceremony to formally welcome five new firefighters to its ranks and recognize two members who have advanced to new positions within the department.Fire Chief Aaron Lenart spoke to the audience of family, friends and colleagues sharing, “this was the first time we’ve hired lateral hires. It was an experiment, so far a very good experiment.” The lateral hiring is the process of recruiting experienced fire fighters from outside the Rocky River department, for a role at an equivalent or parallel level of seniority without requiring them to start at a lower rank or go through a traditional progression path is new.The city of Rocky River and the Fire Department celebrated with family and friends on July 27, 2026.Kathleen Barnard, special to cleveland.comSwearing-in ceremonies mark a formal transition for new hires, who take an oath of office before beginning their careers as sworn members of the department. Promotion ceremonies similarly recognize firefighters who have taken on additional responsibility and rank within the organization, often after years of service and additional training or testing.The five new firefighters honored in the ceremony are:Cody WrightBrandon FinamoreJayme StraussDe’Jonte LawrenceAustin SteindlThe two members of the department were also promoted were Clayton Angeloff and Zachary Wallenhorst. The Rocky River Fire Department and the city of Rocky River welcome and congratulate all the new hires and those promoted.