Distinguished Service Recipient 2006.
Les Groth began his career in the fire service as a volunteer firefighter with Warren Engine Company No. 1 – Carson City’s Volunteer Fire Department – working his way up through the chain of command to fire chief. When Carson City established a paid fire department on July 1, 1964, he was appointed as the first paid fire chief of Carson City.
Chief Groth spent his entire adult life serving the fire community in the State of Nevada and Carson City. He was instrumental in forming the Nevada Fire Chiefs Association and served as one of its first presidents. He represented the fire service at the legislature for many years, lobbying for the heart/lung bill, the funding and improvement of statewide fire service training, and the establishment of the State Fire Marshal’s Office. He later served as President of the Western Fire Chiefs Association and represented the regional fire service on a national level.