Three new firefighters were sworn in at a pinning ceremony before family members and fellow firefighters with The Villages Public Safety Department.
The fourth class of 2021 consisted of Firefighter/Paramedic Samantha Bell, Firefighter/EMT Machel Davis and Firefighter/EMT David Quevedo. Also receiving his pin was Fire Inspector Christopher Battle.
The Villages Public Safety Department Fire Chief Edmund Cain welcomed the newest members of his team and their families to the pining ceremony this past Friday at the Everglades Recreation Center. He stressed the importance of the day for the recruits and likened it to the recruits joining a new family where each member works as a team to save lives and property.
Recruit class Leader Samantha Bell thanked the training staff for the realistic training on behalf of the class.The newest members of the Public Safety team had their fire badges pinned on their uniforms by family members. The new firefighters were presented with their new helmets at the end of the ceremony.
The ceremony came at the end of an intensive six-week training cycle. During the training, the recruits learned how to use their personal protective gear, operate the complicated gear on the fire engine and fight different types of fires.The new firefighters learned how to move through structures filled with smoke while searching for sources of fire and possible victims.
As The Villages is projected to double in size and The Villages Public Safety Department is slated to take over the ambulance service there will be many more pinning ceremonies in the future.