Thirty cadets graduated from Allan Hancock College’s Fire Academy May 15 at the college’s Public Safety Training Complex (PSTC) in Lompoc.  
   
The ceremony marked the end of a rigorous 18 week academy consisting of 788 hours of classroom and field instruction for the cadets in Battalion 157.

“The ceremony was also an acknowledgment that the cadets had not only completed that training but also met and exceeded the state and national certification training standards for Firefighter I Certification,” the school said.

“Congratulations to our cadets, who have endured a rigorous training program to sit in front of you today,” said Kevin G. Walthers, Hancock superintendent/president.

Before the ceremony, the cadets demonstrated the skills they learned at the academy such as running fire hoses; dousing burning cars; and extricating “victims” from vehicle wrecks outside the PSTC’s burn tower.  
 
“You have decided to selflessly serve others. To be the answer when someone in your community is in danger and they need help,” said Leonard Champion, Fire Academy coordinator.

With their new certifications, the 30 cadets are now able to pursue their firefighting careers.

Reflecting on the bond formed between the cadets throughout the academy, Leonel Valencia Valdez, academy class president, said, “We showed up for each other every day, and that’s what the fire service is about.”

Valdez and his fellow cadets also benefited from the Metallica Scholars initiative, which partially covered the cost of their textbooks, wildfire protective equipment, and other key resources. The initiative directly benefits about 60 Fire Academy cadets annually.

The full list of Battalion 157 graduates includes:

Arvind Bhandal, Randi Brent, Diamond Brown, Mason Bueman, Austin Catlin, Nicolas Fernandez, Fidel Frias Rojas, Rudy Gaytan, Trey Genova, Rafael Gudino Fuentes, Witting Herman, Luke Humphrey, Bryce Jones, Dominic Lamarca, Jared Magana, and George Millan.

Also, Anthony Moreno, Cole Philip, Tristan Porterfield, Andrew Prater, Mitchell Ray, Alejandro Salas Corona, Devin Sarantinos, Richard Shore, Kaleb Simonin, Thadeus Strong, Alex Sutton, Leonel Valencia Valdez, Nykolas Villa, and Nicolas Von Langen.