Tom Marino recently retired after serving more than 31 years with the Auburn Fire Department and Valley Regional Fire Authority.

Marino, a captain, has been recognized for many accomplishments, several of which benefitted not only his fire department workplace, but also community members and people throughout the country.

“Tom’s absence will be noticeable to me, as I always knew if he was on the scene, things would happen to provide the best benefit to the citizens we serve, and in some cases, grew up with,” said VRFA Capt. Chris Heminger, a longtime colleague and friend.

Marino grew up in Auburn, raised a family here, and still lives in Lakeland with his wife, Laurie. The Marinos have and continue to be instrumental in the Auburn Relay for Life each year as their son, Brent, is a cancer survivor.

Marino has been active in his community in many ways over the years, starting the Local 1352’s Toys for Tots campaign, and serving as a community adviser on the editorial board for the former Valley Daily News. He also served with the FEMA Washington Task Force One Urban Search and Rescue Team for several years as a rescue squad leader and manager. He participated in deployments to disaster areas, including Hurricane Katrina. He also was a Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT) Instructor for the City of Auburn, teaching several classes of volunteers to respond when a disaster strikes.

Marino was the first Team Leader for the Auburn Fire Department, now VRFA, Special Operations Rescue Team and was a certified instructor in dive and swift water rescue. He also served as a recruit instructor and instructor coordinator at the Washington State Fire Training Academy and trained hundreds of new firefighters.

In addition, he organized and led the highly regarded AFD/VRFA Honor Guard for the past two decades.

Marino was recognized for his life-saving actions on numerous incidents throughout his career, an indication of his dedication and exemplary operational skills. His decorations include the Medal of Valor, Five Medals of Merit, 11 Meritorious Unit Citations, and the selection by his peers of both Firefighter and Fire Officer of the year.

In addition, Marino is a skilled and respected writer, having published several articles in national fire trade magazines and publications.

“Tom was what we call a fireman’s fireman – always looking out for his fellow firefighters on the emergency scene, working hard to be the best in the profession, and never stopping his efforts,” said one VRFA firefighter. “After he was promoted to company officer, he made supporting his crew, making sure they were trained and that they could handle whatever came their way his biggest priority.”