Excitement was in the air Friday afternoon at the Eisenhower Recreation Center as six new Villages firefighter/EMTs officially received their badges and helmets.
Known as Class 20-01, the six recruits recently finished an eight-week orientation session and are now ready to start manning engines and other apparatus operated by The Villages Public Safety Department in a community that’s growing at a rapid pace.
“They are a great bunch of people,” Fire Chief Edmund Cain said about the group, shortly after completing Friday’s ceremony. “They are energetic and they bonded together quickly. They’ve got a bright future here and we’re happy to have them onboard.”
The six firefighters who range in age from their early twenties to their late thirties – David Atkinson, Matthew Bryant, Timothy Fox, Caleb Gilbert, Christopher Green and Christopher Parco – were all smiles as they visited with family members and friends. Some posed for photos and talked about what the future might hold. And they all mingled with the crowd and shared stories of their training and the lessons they’d learned along the way.
“It’s really been great,” said Matthew Bryant. “It’s been a cohesive unit. I’m all about teamwork and I’m excited to get to work.”
Bryant’s wife, Christy, said she was thrilled that her 35-year-old husband had completed his orientation training and was ready to move forward.
“I’m so proud of him for the path that he’s chosen,” she said. “I’m excited for him to start on this new journey.”
Perhaps nothing was more touching during Friday’s ceremony that when Villager Jerry Hazen was called up to pin the badge on his 22-year-old grandson, Christopher Parco. Hazen, of the Village of Hillsborough, is a retired Reno, Nev., police officer who specialized in accident investigation and reconstruction. His eyes filled with tears when asked what it meant to take part in the ceremony.
“It’s really hard to say,” he said quietly.
Hazen’s wife, Loretta, spoke for him when she said they couldn’t be prouder of Parco and his colleagues.
“They worked so hard,” she said. “I know what our grandson went through and they all went through it together.”
Parco said there was no question that his grandfather would be the one to pin his badge on him.
“He’s the reason I wanted to do all of this,” he said. “He really helped me out through this and I’m really grateful to have him on my side.”
Meanwhile, the senior member of the class, 39-year-old Timothy Fox, said he excited because his wife almost 10 years, Jarell, pinned his badge on him.
“It was amazing and very humbling,” said the 14-year veteran of the Florida Fire Service. “No words can describe it.”
Jarell Fox said that although she was somewhat nervous, she couldn’t be happier for her husband.
“He’s finally following his dream and it’s becoming a reality for him,” she said.
Timothy Fox said he’s looking forward to taking more classes, starting his shifts and running calls to help the community. He also labeled his classmates as an “amazing” group of people.
“They are incredible – hard workers and team players,” he said. “We bonded very quickly.”
Christopher Green, who was chosen by the class to give a speech at the ceremony, agreed. He pointed out that the other five members had gone through prior training together and he was initially concerned about being the odd man out – a fear that quickly went away.
“I realized that if you prove yourself to them and show that you have good moral character, good attributes and you’re willing to work hard, they’ll accept you very fast,” said the 24-year-old Green, who hopes to eventually attend paramedic school and then move up to be an engineer/apparatus driver.
That feeling of brotherhood was certainly evident by the attendance of two current firefighters who have been on the job about 14 months, Nick Fatolitis and Bailey Barngrover.
“We’re excited to have them all on and welcome them into the family,” Fatolitis said.