South Jersey’s Newest Firefighters Were Celebrated Monday

Congratulations to the new firefighters who graduated from the Atlantic County Fire Academy on Monday.

These hard-working men and women were celebrated for completing 170 hours of an extensive firefighter I training class.

Firefighter I Training

The Firefighter I class is designed to equip new firefighters with the basic knowledge and skills to function safely and effectively in an entry-level role.

Firefighter I is the essential first step in becoming a certified firefighter in New Jersey.
The training gives these novice firefighters fundamental skills and knowledge, covering basic techniques like hose/ladder use, rescue, fire behavior, and safety, enabling them to operate under direct supervision as part of a team in a South Jersey fire department.

Atlantic County Fire Academy

This training was held at the Anthony "Tony" Canale Atlantic County Fire Academy, located on English Creek Avenue in Egg Harbor Township.

The Atlantic County Fire Academy is one of a network of regional training centers for firefighter education in New Jersey.

Firefighters From Five Counties Participated

Among the 34 firefighters who graduated on Monday, many will be firefighters in Atlantic County, protecting towns including Linwood, Absecon, Cardiff, Hammonton, Elwood, Dorothy, Pomona, Somers Point, and Longport.

Others will be a part of fire departments in Cape May, Ocean, Burlington, and Gloucester counties.

The training is far from over for these new firefighters, who will continue to be trained by a team of 30 local instructors in advanced firefighting operations like vehicle extrications, rope rescues, incident command, and firefighter survival skills.

But, Monday night, they were celebrated for their first big accomplishment in the life of South Jersey firefighters.

If you've ever thought about becoming a firefighter, the next training class starts in February.