The City of Redmond Fire Department (RFD) welcomed 10 new firefighters to the department during graduation ceremonies on Nov. 10. Fire Chief Tommy Smith and Redmond Mayor John Marchione recited the oath of office and issued the graduated recruits their fire department badges.

The new firefighters have been assigned to their shifts and stations after spending more than 16 weeks in recruit training with the East Side Metro Training Academy and fire service instructors from the RFD.

Firefighters began their training by practicing emergency medical technician (EMT) skills that will used be during cardiac arrests and complex trauma and medical emergencies in the field. The training moves on to 12 weeks of learning basic and advanced firefighting skills that builds on teamwork while working in dangerous environments. The fire academy is an intense course that is physically and mentally demanding and designed to push individuals and teams to learn how to handle dynamic fire situations with confidence while stressing safety.

The newly graduated probationary firefighters include: Tesa Betz, Reichle Erchinger, Heather Herdt, Joshua Hughes, Joseph Lee, Austin Marshall, Russell Reece, Loren Seefried, Joel Swift and Dylan Walsh.

It takes almost a year to hire and train new firefighters through a very competitive recruiting process. The 10 probationary firefighters were selected from more than 200 applicants and only after weeks of pre-screening interviews, background checks, psychological and medical evaluations and ultimately the fire chief interview for final selections to attend the recruit academy.

“The recruits have excelled in their training to become firefighters,” Chief Smith said, “I’m extremely proud of these firefighters and know they will serve the citizens of Redmond and Fire District 34 with great pride and service.”