Edwardsville Fire Department Welcomes New Firefighter, Promotes Cruz To Lieutenant

Edwardsville City Council Meeting

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EDWARDSVILLE – Tuesday marked an eventful evening for the Edwardsville Fire Department, with a new firefighter sworn in and a current firefighter promoted.

At Tuesday’s City Council meeting, longtime Firefighter Joey Cruz was promoted to the rank of lieutenant, while Jacob Hatcher was officially sworn in as the department’s newest firefighter and paramedic.

Cruz was honored at the last City Council meeting with an Employee Excellence Award for giving an educational fire safety presentation to preschoolers at the Edwardsville YMCA. At this week’s meeting, Mayor Art Risavy reiterated the city’s appreciation for his educational outreach efforts.

One of Hatcher’s fellow firefighters is his father, Edwardsville Firefighter and Paramedic Jason Hatcher, who proudly pinned on his son’s badge shortly after Jacob was sworn in to applause from meeting attendees.

A full recording of the Nov. 18, 2025 Edwardsville City Council meeting is available at the top of this story or on Riverbender.com/video.

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