The Wilmington Fire Department looks to add to its ranks this summer.
Fifteen recruits recently began training in the city’s 43rd academy to become firefighters. The 15, including one woman, qualified among 135 applicants this year.
Wilmington Fire Chief John Looney says the applicants had to pass a 16-week pre-certification process to qualify to attend the academy.
“Once the applications close then we have a physical agility test. We have a passing score for that and it is pass or fail. If you’re successful with the physical agility test, you move on to the written test. Then there’s a hundred-question written test that’s provided by a third-party vendor.”
Applicants who passed were then interviewed by a panel of ranking firefighters, and subsequently the Chief.
Once they complete the academy in July, the recruits attain national certifications as Pro Board FireFighter Levels I and II and Nationally Registered Emergency Medical Technicians.
Chief Looney says the fire department’s EMT certification is critical to Wilmington’s first responder success.
“We currently have 153 nationally registered EMTs that are out on the street everyday, handling medical emergencies. Our engines and ladders respond to medical emergencies depending upon the severity of the incident, and a lot of times they’re getting there before the ambulance arrives and they’re already initiating care for the person who is ill.”
If all fifteen recruits make it through the academy, the Fire Department will be at its authorized strength of 156 firefighters.
