The Wilmington Fire Department’s 44th Recruit Academy is the largest group to be hired by the fire department.
There were 36 recruits in the latest graduation class promoted to the Wilmington Fire Department.
The record number of recruits includes new EMTs along with firefighters after the city’s recent decision to expand services to include primary 9-1-1 emergency ambulance response.
"Like any transition, there have been some challenges, but we've been well planned and been well supported by the mayor's office and staff for the needs of the department to take on this big of a new service," said Deputy Fire Chief Gordon Davis.
Davis says the larger number of recruits is a direct result of the new services.
"With the addition of the ambulance service, that's what prompted the need for the additional employees,” said Davis. “So, we recruit year round. We do that through our website, attending special events, and our direct contact with people that inquire to us. So we're constantly recruiting year round, but we typically only have at the most one recruit class per year."
The 44th Recruit Academy started on May 2, with 14 weeks of intensive training, including a six-week National Emergency Medical Technician course.
That was followed by eight weeks of National Firefighter I & II curriculum, classroom instruction and practical evolutions.
The class was selected from a pool of 116 applicants. New graduates were assigned to active duty immediately bringing the Wilmington Fire Department’s authorized strength to 186.
