Columbia, CA…The Columbia College Fire Academy will hold its graduation ceremony and presentation of Certification of Completion to 34 successful students of the Fire Technology Program. The event, which is open to the general public, will be held Thursday, April 27th, beginning at 6 p.m. in the Oak Pavilion at Columbia College.
Certificates will be awarded based on the student’s successful completion of the academic and manipulative training as mandated for a California Firefighter 1 Certification. The students must still complete six months of full-time or one year of part-time field experience before applying to the state for Firefighter I Certification. “Some of the graduates will apply or continue with reserve, intern and volunteer positions at local or state-wide fire departments since entering the academy” said Chief Shane Warner, Columbia College Fire Technology Program Coordinator and professor. “Many of the students will continue on to pursue associate degrees in fire technology at Columbia College.” “Some of the students are already applying for seasonal employment with CAL Fire, Forest Service, and local fire agencies said Instructor Andy Van Hoogmoed.

Angela Fairchilds, President of Columbia College, will deliver a welcome message. Fire Chief Matt Gilmore, with the Sierra Conservation Fire Department, will convey the Keynote Address. Retired Fire Chief Shawn Henry, from the Merced Fire Department, will present closing thoughts.

Graduation attendees will view a student-produced audiovisual presentation of their intensive 16 weeks of training. According to Chief Shane Warner, the rigorous training is designed to help serious candidates meet the requirements for demanding careers as professional firefighters, including more than 576 hours of academic and manipulative training.
In addition to the “routine” fire training classes, specialized training was delivered involving Auto Extrication, Low Angle Rope Rescue Training, Incident Command System, Hazardous Materials Training, Seasonal Wildland Firefighting classes, Confined Space, Basic Power Saw Safety, and live fire suppression training, which was conducted at the Twain Harte’s Fire Department Training Center. A special thanks goes out to: Vic’s Towing, Columbia College Fire Department, Columbia Fire District, Sonora City Fire Department, Twain Harte Fire Department, Tuolumne County Fire Department, CAL Fire TCU, U.S. Forest Service, and Sierra Conservation Center.

The Spring 2017 Columbia College Fire Academy graduates:

Adam-Chinn, Nolan
Avila, Christian
Avila, Gabriel
Burke, Austin
Burroughs, Scott
Cisneros, Eric
Colon, Derek
Cosenza, Ian
Courtney, Shannon
Dunn, Colin
Eggert, Daniel
Fassbender, Paxton
Flaming, Alyssa
Gilbert, John
Hall, Andrew
Harp, Kyle
Hedge, Matt
Henderson, Alex
Jardine, Kyland
Lampley, Benjamin
Leedom, Ryan
Malloy, Connor
Marsh, Matt
McInturf, Greg (Crew Leader)
Nunley, Brent
Reyes, Freddy
Rush, Jessie
Scheller, Jeremy
Staley, Andrew
Torres, Joaquin
Tripp, Michael
Tucker, Jaycob
Williams, Chris
Wolfe, Kyle