A cohort of 16 students have become the first-ever to graduate from Barry University’s Fire Academy, officially graduating from the program during a ceremony on June 18.
The group of hopeful firefighters took part in a six-month program offered through Barry’s School of Professional And Career Education (PACE). For the past several months, the group, which includes students from Miami-Dade and Broward counties, have been training at the City of Hollywood’s certified firefighter recruit training facility.
The Fire Academy class, which consists of 398 hours of training, is a pre-requisite for anyone interested in becoming a firefighter. The curriculum was provided by eight experienced instructors.
More than 100 family members and other community partners were present for the graduation ceremony. Additionally, several public safety professionals were present, including Director Julius Halas from the State of Florida, Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue Fire Chief Joseph Fernandez, whose son was a graduate from the program, Delray Beach Fire Chief Neal DeJesus and City of Miami Fire Rescue PIO Ignatius Carroll.
In addition to the Fire Academy, PACE also offers Emergency Medical Technician training, Paramedic Program, CPR Training and Fire Officer certification.