New position, same high standard
Marinovich promoted to Deputy Fire Chief of Support
Caleb A. Gallegos/News-Sun
With a decade of committed service to the City of Hobbs as a member of the Hobbs Fire Department, Adam Marinovich has spent the last 10 years of his career protecting the city and being a pillar of support for many.
On Nov. 18, that service was recognized as Marinovich was promoted to the position of Deputy Fire Chief of Support for HFD.
With plans of being a teacher and working at the Freshman High School before starting his career with HFD, Marinovich said what started his firefighting journey was when he was approached by then-fire chief Manny Gomez, who diligently urged Marinovich to join the department.
Although hesitant when first entertaining the idea of a career as a firefighter, Marinovich eventually accepted the challenge. In 2013, he jumped into the deep waters of fire rescue.
“My neighbor, who is the City Manager and was fire chief at the time, was like ‘you need to come be a firefighter’,” Marinovich said. “I was a small dude at the time and I looked at the firefighters as big guys. They kinda just put the challenge out there for me. I said, ‘let’s give it a shot’ and in 2013 this is where I ended up.
“I’ve gained about 80 pounds since back then, 60 of it good, 20 might have gone to the waist,” Marinovich jokingly added.
With his original path pointed towards a career in teaching, Marinovich said he doesn’t regret making the decision to join the men and women in law and rescue and is honored to be apart of “the people.
“The men and women that serve in those roles are on another level. It was intimidating. I was ready to be a teacher, that’s what I went to school for, but I don’t regret anything. I love that I took the steps and the opportunity to be here.
Now with a decade of experience under his belt, Marinovich has experienced a plethora of unique events during his career. He recalls the ambulance rides were the toughest part for him when first starting his career as a firefighter.
“Riding the ambulance and seeing the things we do, its not for everyone. No body should have to see that stuff, so coming in, it was real eye opener on what you have to see, Marinovich said.
After the first shift “punched him right in the mouth,” Marinovich said he knew a career in fire-rescue was were he needed to be. He quickly decided to continued his journey to become the best firefighter he could be.
During his journey, Marinovich has served in various capacities, which include firefighter/EMT, driver engineer, shift captain and fire prevention captain.
“Personally you have values and goals you set for yourself and the career also expects that same level out of you. And so the more I tried to improve myself personally, I found that I had no choice but to also improve in my career,” Marinovich said.
The people around him during his journey as a firefighter played a big part in motivating him to improve his skills and knowledge in all his positions, Marinovich said, and said one of the main goals is to always ensure that everyone gets home.
“You see the people around you and it makes you want to do better, it makes you want to be the best. Everyone wants to go home at the end of the day, and I felt I had the skill set to kinda help all of us ensure that we do that, Marinovich said. “One level after the next, you kinda gain more knowledge. If you understand the level above you, it helps you do your job where your at.
“Rank, it is what it is. It’s more so, we all just want to go home. If you understand the level above you, you can help the people on the lower level understand why the decisions are made. I felt I have a good ability and handle on that.”
Although Marinovich is in a new position, he is keeping the same high standards he has always kept during his career, while also adapting to fit the positions needs.
“Same standard, its always the same standard. You should hold that standard from day one. But I think stepping into this role you have a change in perspective, because you have to see things through a different lens,” Marinovich said. “Same high standard, just the perspective has shifted a little bit.”
Deputy Fire Chief Ryan Herrera said Marinovich brings an unmatched amount of commitment and support to the City of Hobbs and its residents.
“I think most importantly its the level of commitment to the community that he brings. He brings such a commitment to the City of Hobbs and its surrounding citizens. Its going to be a great thing for our community,” Herrera said.
Herrera admires Marinovich’s involvement with the youth of his church and the community, and said Marinovich brings a good, uplifting positive attitude to the department.
“Adam is one of those guys that’s going to do whatever it takes to fill the pieces we need, and he is that piece we all felt like we were missing in the department. He’s going to flourish here,” Herrera said.
With newly-graduated cadets from HFD’s fire academy, Marinovich gets to utilize his teaching skills as he builds the next generation of HFD firefighters into the standard of firefighters HPD expects.
“Being brand new and having a brand new admin, we’re setting standards high. You always want to push the standers higher,” Marinovich said. “We have a good strong group, they are ready. This was the first academy of its kind that we’ve had. We did things a little different, speaking to the standard and trying to raise it as well.”
“The high standard is the same and we’ll continue to carry on what was learned from the past. We learned a lot from the chief officers before us and they helped shape and mold the direction we need to go now. Hopefully we can do the same for the youth coming up,” Herrera said. “His (Marinovich) new role is support, and that’s exactly what he’s going to do is support this entire department.
When asked about future plans in HFD, Marinovich simply said “I’ve got to learn the next level.
“There is still another level above me, but I’m going to try and learn from Chief Herrera, cause he has been in the role already and learned from Chief (Mark) Doporto. You never really have anything mastered, so once to feel you have a good handle, you go further,” Marinovich said.
“Adam’s passion for the fire service, coupled with his commitment to education and department progression, makes him an excellent fit for this role,” Doporto said. “With his diverse background in fire prevention and strong educational foundation, he brings a unique and valuable perspective to the team. I’m excited to see the positive impact he will make and look forward to his accomplishments in this new position.”
