After weeks of intense training, the Henry County Fire Department held a graduation ceremony for 38 recruits who reached the first of many career milestones. Ceremonies were held at Creekside Christian Academy-West Campus. Recruit Class 18-01 commenced with a grand and memorable ceremony before a large crowd of approximately 300 guests.

  A reception and an opportunity to fellowship with the new employees followed the commencement. Training Chief Rodney Wiggins stated “These men have worked hard to get where they are and I am extremely proud of our Training Staff for the job they have done preparing them.”

  Becoming firefighters and Emergency Medical Technicians is a grueling process which began about a year ago for the new hires.  They passed a series of written, physical and psychological tests before being chosen from among hundreds of applicants for the recruit class. Having completed 1600 hours of training, eighteen recruits will join the ranks of Henry County’s bravest beginning on Monday. The remaining twenty recruits will complete an additional 800 hours of fire or EMS training.

  Recruit Robert Ladouceur was the recipient of the Top Boot Award. This award recognizes one individual who demonstrated the ability to excel in academics, skill evaluations, physical fitness, and teamwork.

  The new firefighters will continue their training on their respective shifts. “I am excited to welcome these new members to our team.  They have performed admirably during recruit school and I believe they will continue to excel on line,” stated Fire Chief Luther Phillips.

  Recruit Class 18-01 graduates are: Aaron Porter, Cameron King, Donte’ Albert, Eric Kling, Joshua Dixon, Joshua Ogle, Joshua Tidwell, Justin Ellis, Justin Flores, Kyle Bogaards, Matthew Hill, Rajae Duffus, Robert Ladouceur, Ryan Cox, Souran Raut, Tony Crosby, Tyler Ladigo and Zachery Butts.