With a love for vehicles from an early age to growing up working on car, John Nieves found his calling when he joined the city of Round Rock, TX, in 2018 to work on the city's fire and emergency vehicles. His career-long commitment to learning earned him the title of the 2026 Emergency Vehicle Technician (EVT) of the Year from Firehouse and Spartan Fire Chassis.

Nieves will be honored Monday night during the annual awards dinner at the Fire Truck Training Conference in Lansing, MI.

Behind every pumper, ladder or other emergency vehicle that leaves the shop is a crew of firefighters that depends on that apparatus to perform when the tones drop. For Nieves, keeping these apparatus on the road is about much more than completing a repair and moving on to the next assignment.

“I built such a relationship with this department, with the firefighters, the end users,” Nieves, the Round Rock fire shop lead technician, told Firehouse. “I really do it for them. They have such a rough job that the last thing I want them to have to worry about is their equipment they’re using.”

"We're very proud of the level of professionalism in our shops and John is an enormous contributor. We're very proud and confident that John Nieves is an exceptionally strong nominee for this award," wrote Curt Mullins, Round Rock's fire fleet superintendent wrote in his nomination for this award.

From cars to fire apparatus

Nieves’ interest in vehicles started long before he knew he would be working on fire apparatus.

As a child, he collected Hot Wheels, hung car posters on his walls and was fascinated by the vehicles that family members drove. His father worked on his own vehicles, giving Nieves another opportunity to be around cars and learn about them and, while in high school, he became interested in import cars and racing. 

He attended college for automotive technology and began working at a dealership in 2008. Over six years, he developed a technical foundation, saying that technicians at the dealership weren't restricted to one area of a vehicle like other careers.

“I learned a lot. I got a lot of experience from it, and it really did help me.”

Nieves then worked in equipment removal before moving into diesel maintenance and spent more than four years working on school buses for Round Rock Independent School District before joining the city and going directly into the fire apparatus shop.

The transition introduced him to an entirely different level of vehicle complexity.

“The fire trucks are just their own beast,” Nieves said. “There’s a little bit of similarities, but nothing like these. These are just in their own world.”

Fire apparatus maintenance brings an enjoyable challenge

The complexity found in working on custom-built fire apparatus is exactly what has kept Nieves focused on continuing education because, he says, even similar rigs can present his crew with different challenges.

“I think that’s what I love about them,” he said. “It always keeps me on my toes. There’s always something different.” 

When he sees a Round Rock apparatus responding with its emergency warning devices activated, he will proudly point it out to his daughters, saying "Dad worked on that truck." 

That pride extends to the condition of the department’s fleet. Nieves said other departments who see some of Round Rock’s older apparatus sometimes are surprised by their age because of how well they have been maintained.

“We just have that pride in it,” he said.

Deployed to the Palisades Fire

Nieves had a unique opportunity to put his skills to work far outside Round Rock when he deployed to California to support the Central Texas strike team during the 2025 Palisades Fire response in Los Angeles.

His supervisor, Mullins, was unable to respond and asked Nieves to take the assignment, which he accepted and called a major learning experience. 

“It was a huge shock,” he recalled. “It was nerve-wracking at first. I did have to remind myself that it’s just like being here at the shop. I’m just on the road.”

Even before reaching the staging area, the work began. Nieves checked apparatus from Texas and other departments, identified problems, completed repairs and determined what parts or additional work were needed to get the rigs back on the front lines. 

Nieves connected with CAL FIRE mechanics who had established a temporary shop in a high school parking lot and offered to help wherever his skills were needed. 

His days often started by 8 a.m. and wrapped up after 9 p.m., with Nieves performing inspections and repairs, but when a Texas apparatus needed attention, it took priority.

“It was definitely something I would love to do again,” Nieves said. “I just felt so honored to be able to have that opportunity. It’s not anything I’ll be forgetting.”

Leaving Texas for the devastated Malibu, CA, region left an impression on Nieves.

“The impact of what those fires did to that area too, that’s kind of a driver to continue to work hard,” said Nieves. “You just want to do what you can to help those people out going through that.”

Among the projects Nieves is proud of is the complete refurbishment of the reserve Round Rock apparatus that ended up deploying with the Texas team to California. 

“We ended up taking the time and money to completely refurbish it and just to have it ready for anything,” he said of the efforts before the wildfire deployment. 

“Our truck was the only one that didn’t need any work,” Nieves said. “I was working on everyone else’s truck.”

Training and education make a difference 

When Round Rock experienced issues related to exhaust aftertreatment systems and regenerations, Nieves visited stations and trained firefighters on the systems. He explained warning lights, operating differences and procedures and provided firefighters with printed visual materials they could reference.

The project allowed him to address mechanical issues through education while strengthening the relationship between the shop and firefighters.

“That’s something that I’m really proud of,” he said. 

Nieves applies that same commitment to his own education, leading him to earn master certifications through both Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) and EVT Certification Commission and he believes certifications hold a high value.

“You’re actually learning a lot of material from there that is technical,” Nieves said, including standards and regulations that technicians need to understand when maintaining or modifying emergency vehicles.

Nieves, a member of the Texas Association of Emergency Vehicle Technicians, encourages technicians to take the time and consider making the investment. 

“It’s 100 percent worth it,” he said. “If you spare the time on the front end, on the back end it will reward you.”

Nieves credits Mullins, and former supervisor Richard Joubert with giving him opportunities and helping develop his passion for the profession. 

“Curt is such a wealth of knowledge, and he’s not afraid to pass that on,” Nieves said. “I try to do the same as well. That’s why we work as a team here. We share everything we know.”

Nomination offers a glimpse into his commitment

Mullins nominated Nieves for this year's award, after Nieves finished among the five finalists in 2025.

"His absolute commitment is readily evident every day, without exception. He’s well-liked and respected throughout our city and beyond. John has a quiet, confident, unassuming, positive and professional demeanor," Mullins wrote in his nomination. "John’s positive attitude, work ethic, extensive trade skills and willingness to assist whenever needed, resulted in his selection to deploy to California in support of the firefighters of the Pacific Palisades fire...John received a Letter of Commendation from CAL FIRE for his 'Excellent Performance' noting how he went 'Above and beyond' while assigned to their ground support team."

Mullins added that Nieves was named the 2023 Employee of the Year by the Round Rock General Services Department, a finalist in the 2025 NAFA Fleet Management Association Technician of the Year contest and he was named the 2026 Civilian Employee of the Year by the Round Rock Fire Department, even though his position falls under another city department.

In 2025, Nieves was promoted to Fire Shop Lead Technician.

"His promotion was influenced by his tireless work ethic, commitment to customer service and his willingness to lead and train younger technicians," said Mullins. "He takes time away from his family to attend 40-plus hours of training and development events every year to better himself as a technician, employee, and person."

The recognition came as a surprise, Nieves. 

“It feels great,” he told Firehouse. “Reading what these other guys do, and just the prior winners, I feel very honored because I know these guys are working just as hard as I am for this.”

For Nieves, the award recognizes work that often takes place away from the emergency scene but has a direct effect on every call his firefighters respond to.

2026 EVT of the Year Awards

This year, Firehouse and Spartan received 26 nominations for the EVT of the Year Award.

Rounding out the top five EVT of the Year Award recipients are:

2nd Place
Zack Loesekann
Emergency Vehicle Technician
First Due EVS
Morganton, NC

3rd Place
Mark Sirianne
Fleet Manager
Evergreen Fire/Rescue
Evergreen, CO

4th Place
James "Kirby" Boober
Lead Mechanic
Northwest Public Safety Consortium
Darrington, WA

5th Place (Tie)
Gerald DeYoung
Fire Fleet Manager
Miami Beach Fire Department
Miami Beach, FL

Steve "Doug" Wilson 
Fire Mechanic
San Rafael Fire Department