Related
There was little fanfare, but there were masks and gloves.
The moment comes after a nine-month academic, practical and physical training program.
"I know it was a rigorous process, during a pandemic no less," Mayor Jim Kenney said at the ceremony. "The events of this year have only amplified how essential our first responders truly are."
Fire Academy Deputy Chief Girten Allerton said the grads are now an instant sign of something good in their communities.
"In these extraordinary times, and in extraordinary circumstances, you have stepped forward," he told the graduates.
This class is the first to take the department's new fire dynamics course, a class that's now in the cadet curriculum.
The newly minted first responders will now join fire departments in Philadelphia, Upper Darby, and Chester.