Las Cruces is gearing up to celebrate its newest first responders. This Friday, the Las Cruces Fire Department is set to honor 16 cadets graduating from its 38th Fire Academy. The ceremony, scheduled for 5 p.m. at the Rio Grande Theatre downtown, marks the end of 16 intensive weeks of training that have prepared these individuals for the complexities of firefighting and emergency response.
Throughout the course, the cadets underwent 640 hours of both classroom instruction and hands-on training. Their regimen included learning a variety of firefighting techniques, hazardous materials handling, vehicle extrication, and technical rescue, among other critical skills, according to the City of Las Cruces. Moreover, these cadets also received fire inspection training, rounding out their capabilities to serve and protect the community.
The graduates, a roll call of soon-to-be firefighters, include Jacob Arellano, Jacob Baldwin, Rebekah Butler, Patrick Cardon, Alejandro Carrillo, Jacob Casillas, Henry Gardner, Samuel Grant, Brian Korn, Jazmin Martinez, Trent Mims, Juan Ortiz Villa, Charles Ray, Leah Schnell, Shane Sowers, and Melvin Villegas. Each name represents a fresh pledge to safeguard the city's residents in crises.
Newly minted, these first responders won't have much downtime before being placed on the frontlines. Those with an existing EMT-Basic License will be assigned to one of eight fire stations across the city on June 29, ready to respond to emergencies as they arise. For the rest, an additional eight weeks of EMT-Basic training await before their full induction into the ranks.
