The Lakewood Fire Department gathered Tuesday at its Cedar Bridge Avenue headquarters to honor longtime Captain Robert J. Leon Sr. upon his retirement and to welcome three new full-time firefighters to the department.

Captain Leon has served with the Lakewood Fire Department since 1992, beginning his career when Lakewood’s population was only a fraction of what it is today.

During the ceremony, Fire Chief Jonathan Yahr reflected on working alongside Leon during the department’s earlier years and credited Leon and his close-knit group of colleagues with helping the department grow significantly in both size and professionalism over the decades.

Following the retirement tribute, John Cawley, Michael Santos and Dylan Dickenson were sworn in as new career firefighters, marking another step in the department’s continued expansion as it serves Lakewood’s rapidly growing population.

Family members, friends and fellow firefighters filled the headquarters for the ceremony, celebrating both Leon’s decades of service and the beginning of the three new firefighters’ careers.

Deputy Mayor Menashe Miller and Township Committeeman and Emergency Services Liaison Meir Lichtenstein also attended and presented Leon with a Lakewood Township proclamation recognizing his longtime service.

“On behalf of the Mayor, Township Committee and Citizens of Lakewood, I’d like to extend my best heartfelt wishes to Captain Leon and his family upon his retirement, following an exemplary, decades-long career of lifesaving public service,” Lichtenstein said. “The seeds that Captain Leon planted at the Lakewood Fire Department when our town was small have blossomed into the large and professional Department it is today.”