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42nd Wilmington Fire Academy graduates 30 firefighters - 20 will join the Wilmington Fire Department

42nd Wilmington Fire Academy graduating class at Salesianum School in Wilmington.
Wilmington Fire Department Captain Matt Marsella
42nd Wilmington Fire Academy graduating class at Salesianum School in Wilmington.

There are 20 new firefighters in Wilmington after the most recent graduation ceremony.

The city welcomed the new firefighters in a ceremony at the Salesianum School on Saturday.

This 42nd Wilmington Fire Academy saw 30 firefighters in total graduate - including 10 from the nearby Chester, PA.

The ceremony included the presentation of badges, fire and EMT Certifications, and the Oath of Office.

Mayor Mike Purzycki was unable to attend, but addressed the graduates in a videotaped message congratulating them and welcoming them to the Wilmington family.

The recruits had to complete a 15-week training academy, which included work in the classroom, on drill grounds, and out on the street.

The 20 firefighters were among 226 applicants last July

They attained national certifications as Pro Board Firefighter Levels I and II, Hazardous Materials Operations Level, and National Registry of Emergency Medical Technician.

The new graduates bring the Wilmington Fire Department to its authorized strength of 156 firefighters.

The new Wilmington firefighters are Robert Alscher, Donovan Alston, Matthew Ambrosio, Sean Castagna, Jacob Cawthray, Matthew Chiodo, Luis Collazo, Luis Cotto, Dylan Cronin, Malik Golson, Dean Lambropoulos, Cameron Lucas, Keisha Moore-Davis, Jamal Pierce, Kurt Sarac, Antonio Scott, Gary Smith, William Spear II, Andre Wicker, Michael Wiktorowicz Jr.

The Chester Fire graduates are Kenneth Baker, Ryan Bax, Zachery Felker, Joseph Hall, Erik Kallberg, Joshua Mason, Phoenix Murray, Mark Randolph, April Ziviello, Christopher Zuccarelli

Joe brings over 20 years of experience in news and radio to Delaware Public Media and the All Things Considered host position. He joined DPM in November 2019 as a reporter and fill-in ATC host after six years as a reporter and anchor at commercial radio stations in New Castle and Sussex Counties.