PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The city's firefighter shortage eased a bit on Tuesday, when 74 cadets graduated from the Philadelphia Fire Academy.
This was the 200th class to graduate since the Fire Academy opened in 1871. Of the 74 newly minted firefighters, 71 will work in Philadelphia and three will work in Upper Darby.
That leaves staffing levels in Philadelphia still a couple hundred spots short of the 3,200 budgeted positions, but Fire Commissioner Adam Thiel says it's a big improvement over the shortage they saw through the pandemic.
"This is the largest the Philadelphia Fire Department has been in decades," Thiel said. "We're very thankful to have these folks aboard. We have another cadet class that's in right now. Obviously COVID was a challenge, we're still not where we need to be, but we're continuing to hire."
Mayor Jim Kenney, in attendance, later tweeted: "Proud to join @PhillyFireDept Class 200 at their graduation ceremony today. With the recent emergency on I-95, we are reminded of the importance of our first responders and the courage required to do the job. Congratulations, and thank you for your service to our city."
There's no telling how the graduates were feeling, because the Fire Department prohibited them from speaking with reporters.
Information about how to apply to be a Philadelphia firefighter can be found at phila.gov/fire. Applications and more information about the process can be found online. Tests must be scheduled by Sept. 29.
