Travis Parmley, formerly of Florence, was promoted in May to the rank of fire captain in the Great Bend Fire Department after eight years in the department.

“My dad was a volunteer fireman in Florence; I grew up around firemen and EMTs,” he said Friday. “I was a volunteer in Florence as a cadet in 1996.”

He continued his service on Florence’s volunteer fire department through 2004, completing emergency medical technician training along the way.

In 2004, he heard of an opening in Great Bend’s full-time fire department, applied for the job, and was hired. Since joining the Great Bend department, he completed training to be a paramedic through Barton County Community College.

As a fire captain, Parmley will supervise other firefighters on his shift and at fire scenes. Great Bend Fire Department has two stations with 24 firefighters. Eight firefighters work each shift.

Parmley is a 1998 graduate of Marion High School. His wife, Andrea, also grew up in Florence. His parents are Tim and Janette Parmley of Florence.