Nine members of the Suffolk Department of Fire and Rescue were promoted to new positions Thursday night in front of city and fire officials, family members and friends.

“You have a grand opportunity in your new position,” Chief Mark Outlaw told the new captains and lieutenants.

Capts. Demitri Wilson, Leon Ratliff and Scott Brower and Lts. Steven Henkle, Brian Bunting, Nicholas Savage, Keith Johnson, Eric Mathews and Lin Baker took the oath of office from Circuit Court Clerk Randy Carter and were pinned by members of their families.

“Public service is an honorable profession,” City Manager Selena Cuffee-Glenn told the firefighters and emergency medical technicians. “Thank you for your commitment. You provide excellence public service to the people of this city.”

Speaking on behalf of City Council, Mayor Linda T. Johnson brought congratulations to those promoted and recalled the night of the tornado, April 28, 2008, when she said she “saw things that night that I’ve only seen on a movie screen.”

She recalled waiting at the entrance to the Hillpoint neighborhood with a concerned resident who didn’t know if his two children had survived the tornado unscathed.

“While we waited, there came the firefighter with his children — and his pet,” Johnson said. “It was probably one of the warmest nights of my life.”

Battalion Chief F.T. Adams admonished the honorees to be leaders in the department by giving a good example, listening to others and maintaining credibility.

“You don’t determine your success as a leader,” he said. “Others do.”

Those promoted to the rank of captain were:

• Demitri Wilson, who joined the Suffolk Department of Fire and Rescue on July 16, 1999.
• Leon Ratliff, who joined the Suffolk Department of Fire and Rescue on March 1, 1998.
• Scott Brower, who joined the Suffolk Fire and Rescue Department on Sept. 15, 1997.

Those promoted to the rank of lieutenant were:

• Steven Henkle, who joined the Suffolk Department of Fire and Rescue in November 2001.
• Brian Bunting, who joined the Suffolk Fire and Rescue Department on Oct. 1, 2001, after previously serving with the Chesapeake Fire Department since 1996.
• Nicholas Savage, who joined the Suffolk Fire and Rescue Department on Sept. 15, 2004.
• Keith Johnson, who joined the Suffolk Fire and Rescue Department in March 2004.
• Eric Mathews, who joined the Suffolk Department of Fire and Rescue on March 1, 2001.
• Lin Baker, who joined the Suffolk Fire and Rescue Department on June 16, 2000.