Out of an abundance of caution and due to the increasing positive COVID-19 cases in the Chattanooga area, the Chattanooga Fire Department has made the difficult decision to cancel the graduation ceremony for our Fire Academy 2021 class scheduled for September 9, 2021. The cadets will be sworn in this week and will report to their assigned fire halls to begin responding to emergency calls. We are incredibly happy to welcome them to the CFD family and proud of all of their hard work during the six-month academy.
These firefighters are joining the CFD at a very special time as the department marks its 150th anniversary.
They will help us pave the way for the next 150 years, forming the foundation for the future of our agency. They have successfully completed Emergency Medical Responder training and learned about all of the different aspects of the fire service, including how to fight different types of fire. They’ve also mastered a number of other skills like hazardous materials operations, vehicle extrication, rope rescues, tactical ventilation, Rapid Intervention Teams training (saving a fellow downed or injured firefighter) and Fire Ground Survival training (saving themselves from a fire if they become trapped, disoriented or separated from their crews). This fire academy class is a diverse group of men and women who are eager to serve and protect the citizens of the Scenic City.
“They’ve been great to work with and it’s been a blessing to teach them all of the things they need to know when they head out into the companies. We’re looking forward to seeing how their careers progress and we wish them the best of luck as they begin doing the job they’ve been trained to do. We know they’re going to go out there and make a difference,” said Training Chief William Andrews.