By LYNETTE SOWELL-STEVENS
Cove Leader-Press
On June 18, three firefighters were promoted to the rank of Captain with the Copperas Cove Fire Department.
Nicholas “Nick” Davis, Carol Ballesteros, and Aaron “Cole” Ingram were recognized in a. ceremony that filled the Copperas Cove Police Department’s Community Room.
Deputy Fire Chief Steven Clendenen welcomed fellow members of the department, city staff, families, and community members to the ceremony.
“A promotion is more than a new badge or title. It represents dedication, trust, and the responsibility to lead. Captains play a vital role in our department by setting their expectations, developing their crews, maintaining standards and shaping the future of the organization.”
The promotional process includes a written exam, internal interview, as well as assessments by chiefs and captains from other fire departments.
Fire Chief Douglas Matthijetz said a few words prior to turning the ceremony over to Battalion Chiefs Scott Howard and Robert Hicks for the badge pinning, followed by the three taking their oaths of office.
Matthijetz said he believes the captain is the most important position in the fire department.
“The captain is the only leadership position that is on the street on all the calls and sees both the service delivery and the people that are receiving the service at the same time. They’re in the heat of the moment, they’re in the violence, they’re in the danger areas, they’re seeing real time application of the policies, the procedures, and protocols,” said Matthijetz. “They are seeing real-time application of the tools and equipment and the training. They are in the position of being in charge at every call, working directly for the citizen to care for them and taking care of their needs, so there is nothing more important than where the rubber meets the road and the service delivery, where the service delivery actually takes place.”
He said that receiving this badge is not a participation trophy, but it represents the acceptance of significant responsibility and the trust placed in them to make decisions that directly impact the safety of the crew, the success of the incident, and the service provided to the community.
Nick Davis received his captain’s badge first.
“During his time with this department, he has earned the respect of his peers, supervisors, the citizens that he serves through a strong work ethic, reliability, and commitment to excellence,” said Battalion Chief Scott Howard. “Prior to his promotion, Nick served as a senior field training officer on A Shiftm where he played an important role in mentoring, developing, and developing probationary firefighters. He has demonstrated passion for helping new members build skills, knowledge, and confidence necessary to serve the community safely and effectively, while fostering a culture of accountability, teamwork, and continuous improvement, with experience in fire suppression, emergency medical service services and departmental operations.”
Next up was Battalion Chief Robert Hicks, who introduced Carol Ballesteros. He highlighted her career with the Copperas Cove Fire Department, where she has been since 2004.
Ballesteros has served as firefighter, EMT, health inspector, and code enforcement officer. She also is a licensed paramedic, EMS instructor, and holds multiple fire-related certifications, as well as multiple associate’s degrees, a bachelor’s degree in fire and emergency services, and a master’s degree in public administration.
She is currently continuing her education at the doctoral level, focusing on emergency management, leadership, and global health.
“Carol is known for her dedication to the department, her attention to detail, her willingness to teach and mentor others, and her commitment to doing the job the right way. Her career represents more than two decades of service, education, leadership, and dedication to the citizens of Copperas Cove,” Hicks said.
Cole Ingram was then introduced by Howard, who said Ingram has been a first responder since 2009.
“His uncle, Chief Mark Ingram, signed him up for an EMT class and told him, ‘Hey, class starts at this time, be there Wednesday at six.’ Unknown to Cole at that time, that moment would begin a career he never knew he wanted.”
After obtaining his EMT basic certification, Ingram began his career as a first responder with Capital EMS in 2010 and worked for Comanche, San Saba, and Acadian EMS, and started his fire service in 2018 with the Lampasas Fire Department and has also served with Travis County ESD Number One and Katy Fire Departm¡ent in various roles. He has multiple certifications, including EMT-Basic in 2010, Firefighter certification in 2016, and EMT-Paramedic in 2018. Cole holds EMT-Basic, Firefighter, and EMT-Paramedic certifications.
“He joined the Copperas Cove Fire Department in 2024, quickly becoming a valuable member of B shift, assisting with clearing new paramedics and serving as a write-up officer over the past year,” said Hicks.
After the three new captains were pinned, they took their oaths of office and were congratulated with a small reception.
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