Principals, Chiefs and Canines: Belmont Honors its Heroes

Nitro is now a family dog.

He'll get his long walks, runs in the park, tug-of-war games and box-loads of treats from his civilian family, as he is no longer a working dog with the Belmont Police Department.

"For eight years Nitro has been a working dog," said the K-9 officer's partner Mike Chicas.

"He worked 14 hours a day and lasted much longer in his job than most K-9 officers," explained Chicas.

Upon retirement, Nitro will live with the Chicas family, and Mike's wife Sabrina and their two children seemed pleased to have the German shepherd as a playmate and loyal companion.

"He and my kids have grown up together, and now they can play together and Nitro won't have to go off to work everyday," said Chicas.

Nitro was presented with gift basket from the city upon his retirement Tuesday night. The basket was filled with what you'd expect a dog going into retirement would need---Milkbones, rawhide chews, and some rubber toys. Nitro certainly showed interest in the basket, but being the obedient, well trained dog that he is, didn't dare snatch a treat until it was offered to him.

There was no gift basket for but he did receive a standing ovation and proclamations from the Belmont City Council, Senator Jerry Hill, and the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors upon his retirement Tuesday night.

Fry was hired by the Belmont Fire Protection District in 1975. He stayed with the department through the the formation of South County Fire Authority and later the Belmont-San Carlos Fire Department. And ultimately to the stand alone department it is today.

"You have been a stabilizing force in the department," said Councilmember David Braunstein of Fry's 38 years of service.

And Councilmember Coralin Feierbach acknowledged Fry's intrepidness when it came to keeping Belmont a stand-alone department.

"Thank you for keeping the independence of our Belmont Fire Department," Feierbach said.

Due to the new command structure of the department and its administrative partnership with the San Mateo/Foster City Fire Department, Belmont will now have a deputy fire chief at the helm, Mike Gaffney.

Gaffney was sworn in Tuesday night as the city's first-ever deputy fire chief, just shy of his 30th anniversary with the Belmont Fire Department.

Gaffney has risen through the ranks and served as a volunteer firefighter, firefighter - engineer, fire captain/paramedic, and battalion chief.  He helped in the successful transition of the Belmont Fire Department after the dissolution of the Belmont-San Carlos Fire Department in 2011.  As of January 1, the cities of Belmont, San Mateo and Foster City began sharing fire command staff, and Gaffney will serve as deputy fire chief in this new command structure.

"Had someone asked me as I was rising through the ranks of this department, 'Why are you there?' I would have told them I'm here for the people. This is a people business, and I'm here to serve the people of Belmont," Gaffney said.

In addition to Gaffney, two members of the Belmont Police Department were sworn in Tuesday. Officer James O'Connor became a fourth generation law enforcement officer in his family when he took the oath of office from City Clerk Terri Cook.

Eric Gonzalez, a lifetime Belmont resident and graduate of Carlmont High School and College of San Mateo, was sworn in as a Community Service Officer.

At the end of the school year last June,  Cori McKenzie, the friendly force behind the successful academic, social and cultural programs and projects at Central Elementary School announced her retirement after 12 years as principal. The city council honored McKenzie with a proclamation for her service to the Belmont school community.