NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Nashville Fire Department added 37 new firefighters to the department during a graduation ceremony at Madison Church of Christ on Friday, April 16th.
NFD Director Chief William Swann and Chief Training Officer Commander Scott Lively presented each of the graduates with a certificate of completion and their official badge. Family, friends and fellow NFD personnel celebrated Battalion 83’s accomplishment following the ceremony.
Battalion 83 completed more than 1,000 hours of an intensive curriculum, including classroom lectures and hands on training. Their hands-on training included live fire training, swift water rescue training and high angle rescue techniques.
“Nashville is growing not only up but out. The addition of these 37 new firefighters will help us continue to provide world-class service to the community we love,” Director Chief William Swann said. “We saw in 2020 how important it is to have highly trained personnel on our department.”
WKRN News 2’s Good Morning Nashville Meteorologist Meaghan Thomas emceed the graduation ceremony.
During the ceremony the NFD honored recruit Kasey Manning for earning the honor of Valedictorian for academic performance in both the EMT and Fire Suppression programs.
Recruit Blaise Thomas earned the Fitness Award for his work while in the academy.
Recruit Mario Mendoza earned The Esprit De Corp. (Spirit of the Body) Award. This award is earned by the member of the recruit class who best represents the heartbeat of the battalion.
The recruits will immediately join their fellow firefighters and EMS personnel in fire companies across Metro Nashville Davidson County.
