The Roanoke County Fire and Rescue Department held a ceremony on January 5 to promote five personnel to officer ranks.
According to Volunteer and Public Relations Coordinator Jennifer Sexton, members of Roanoke County Administration, Roanoke County Fire and Rescue Chief Stephen G. Simon, department personnel, and family members were in attendance to witness and participate in the official pinning of one battalion chief, two captains and two lieutenants.
Assistant County Administrator Dan O’Donnell administered the oath of office to Lt. Drew Willis, Lt. Robert Mauck (from Mount Pleasant), Capt. Brandon King, Capt. Chris Dean, and Battalion Chief Don Altice (from Vinton).
Battalion Chief Altice came to work for the department in 1999 as a part-time paramedic-firefighter. In 2009 he was promoted to rank of lieutenant and then to captain in 2012. He is a graduate of the Virginia Fire Officers Academy and is a founding member of the Roanoke Valley Firefighters Foundation (RVFF). He has been promoted to the rank of Battalion Chief of Emergency Medical Services.
Altice has lived in Vinton all his life. He attended Hardy Road Elementary School (now W.E. Cundiff) and graduated from William Byrd High School in 1994. He now lives in Vinton with his wife Denise and their two daughters: Grace, 12, and Natalie, 9.
He began volunteering with the Vinton First Aid Crew and Vinton Fire Department in 1991.
“I worked a few years as a communications officer in the city 911 center and then started working for the Roanoke County Fire & Rescue Department in 1999,” said Altice. “I started as a paramedic/firefighter back then with the county and was promoted through the ranks.”
Altice is a graduate of the Virginia Fire Officers Academy and has attended many other trainings through the years. As EMS Battalion Chief, he will oversee EMS operations for the County of Roanoke.
Altice is the son of Robert Altice, who has served the Town of Vinton for almost 60 years on the Vinton Volunteer First Aid Crew and from 1976 to 2014 on Vinton Town Council.
“I was inspired by Dad,” said Don Altice. “I remember him being involved with the Vinton First Aid Crew when I was growing up, and also his years of service to the town while he was on council.”
Lt. Robert Mauck attended Mount Pleasant Elementary School from second through fifth grades, William Byrd Middle School, and William Byrd High School, where he was a member of the Marching Terrier Band.
He began his public safety career as a volunteer with the Mount Pleasant Fire Company and Rescue Squad and served until 2008 when he was hired as a career firefighter/EMT.
Mauck earned his bachelor’s degree from Virginia Tech, where he was a member of the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets and the Highty Tighties.
In 2011, he upgraded to an EMT-Intermediate. He has previously been assigned to the North County, Hollins, Clearbrook, Fort Lewis, and Masons Cove stations.
Mauck will serve in the Fire Marshal’s Office as a deputy fire marshal.
“As a deputy fire marshal, I hold certifications in Fire Inspector, Fire Investigator, and Law Enforcement for Fire Marshals,” said Mauck. “My duties include conducting fire inspections in Roanoke County and Vinton and enforcing the Virginia Statewide Fire Prevention Code. I also conduct fire investigations to determine the origin and cause of the fire.”
Mauck is a sworn law enforcement officer. Another part of his job as deputy fire marshal is to educate citizens in fire prevention.
He is certified as an Instructor II and is one of the instructors for the Firefighter I and II classes that are held at the Roanoke Regional Fire and Rescue Training Center.
He lives in the Mount Pleasant area of Roanoke County with his wife Elizabeth and dog Zoey and attends Vinton Baptist Church.
“I am enjoying my new position and look forward to the future,” added Mauck.
