Torlano, Hamilton earn interim Cambria Fire promotions
There are a lot of interim titles at the Cambria Fire Department these days, as the services district continues to investigate how best to provide, manage and run the town’s urban fire service.
Emily Torlano of the Cambria Fire Department has been promoted to the rank of fire captain, at least until the Cambria Community Services District board decides the future of the department as a whole. For now, Cal Fire is providing management services under a one-year contract.
Torlano, 40, is filling the vacancy left by the September retirement of Steve Bitto, a 27-year veteran of the department. Her first full day as a captain was Monday, Oct. 5; her salary was $5,696 a month and rises to $6,229. Torlano has joined Cambria Fire as a reservist in 2000. The mother of two boys, ages 6 and 4, was promoted to full-time fire engineer in 2005.
The department’s other captains are Johnathan Gibson and William Hollingsworth.
Tyson Hamilton, 34, has been promoted to interim engineer, filling the vacancy left by Torlano’s rank upgrade. The married man lives in San Luis Obispo; his “A step” engineer’s salary will start at $4,686 per month, according to General Manager Jerry Gruber.
Before joining Cambria Fire in 2007, Hamilton worked three seasons for Cal Fire. He said that when he served at the department’s Station 21 (airport), he worked with a new fire engineer: Eric Shalhoob, who is now interim department head of Cambria Fire. Cambria’s interim fire chief is Rob Lewin, who also serves as chief for the county’s Cal Fire units and County Fire itself.
Cambria Fire’s other fire engineers are Joseph Gibson and Ryan Maloney.
Torlano and Hamilton can serve up to six months in their interim positions. At that point, Torlano said, the CSD directors can opt to keep them in those jobs permanently, end the position and fill with someone else as a limited term or permanent position or extend the position for a longer period of time as a limited term.”
This story was originally published October 7, 2015 at 12:10 PM with the headline "Torlano, Hamilton earn interim Cambria Fire promotions."