Forsyth Fire Department Graduates Newest Recruits

In a ceremony held Friday, April 18, the Forsyth County Fire Department graduated its newest recruit class. Family, friends, county officials and Fire Department staff attended the graduation ceremony for the 2014 Recruit Class #1, which was held at the Central Park Recreation Center.

The members of the 2014 Recruit Class #1 are Jarred Scott Andrews, John Christopher Crump, Justin Stephenson Rogers, Luis Miguel Salazar and John Kemp Underwood, III.

The journey of the five graduating recruits began in the fall of 2013, when the department began the application process for the class.

“These men are the final product of the application process to be a Forsyth County firefighter,” Division Chief Jason Shivers said in a news release. “They braved 14 weeks of arduous firefighter training.”

The 14 weeks of intense, comprehensive firefighter instruction and drills included training on truck and engine company operations, structural fire control, firefighting foam operations, fire hose testing, reading smoke, interior search and rescue, mayday self- rescue, vehicle extrication, hazardous materials awareness and operations, flammable and combustible liquids fire control, combustible/non-combustible building construction, pressurized container fire control, Rapid Intervention Crew operations, public utilities gas/electric safety, and terrorism awareness.

Each recruit completed more than 560 hours of certified fire training preparing them to be Forsyth County firefighters.

“We could not be more proud of these individuals and what they have accomplished over the past 14 weeks,” said Fire Chief Danny D. Bowman, who administered the Oath of Office to the graduating recruits.

The Forsyth County Fire Department plans to conduct a second recruit class later this year to fill vacancies within the department.