New U.D. firefighters graduate from fire academy
Upper Darby welcomed four new career firefighters into their ranks following their graduation from the Philadelphia Academy Monday. The ceremony was attended by dignitaries from both Philadelphia and Upper Darby.
The four are part of Class 192, who completed a rigorous nine-month program comprised of fire suppression training, hazardous materials awareness, and fire- and life-safety education. The cadets also became certified as emergency medical technicians, qualifying them to provide basic emergency medical care.
Upper Darby Chief Derrick Sawyer and Deputy Chief James Johnson were in attendance at the graduation which was held outside at the fire academy training grounds, but was closed to the public because of COVID-19 restrictions.
Sawyer said the four firefighters - William Maguire, Glenn Baker, Kevin Rapp and Dylan Cullen - will help fill shortages in the department from recent retirements and will be on duty as early as Tuesday morning.
Upper Darby has been sending recruits to the Philadelphia Academy for the past 25 years.
Each new firefighter marched into the ceremony wearing a face mask and sat on chairs 6 feet apart facing the training burn tower where they had spent many hours perfecting their skills.
Philadelphia Mayor James Kenney, who was in attendance, noted it takes a special kind of person to become a firefighter and that the events of the past year have amplified how essential our first responders are.
“Make no mistake - this job won’t be easy but it will be the most rewarding job you’ll ever have,” said Kenney. “Your skills, knowledge and dedication will see you through those tough calls.”
“These are extraordinary folks who we are going to call on to do extraordinary things,” said Philadelphia Fire Commissioner Adam Thiel. “Rest assured, after 10 months they are prepared. Whatever is necessary, it’s what we do. Working together, there is nothing we cannot accomplish.”
Thiel lamented the restrictions which prevented family members from being in attendance. The ceremony was shown live on CBS3.com.
Saw yer, who himself graduated from the same academy in 1985, praised the recruits for the new skills and education they have learned and said they are much needed.
“They are going right to work. They have been fully trained. They have received national certifications as firefighters and EMT’s,” said Sawyer. “It’s always great to bring on new employees, especially when you are short-staffed. It takes the burden off the members who are currently working. These members are newly trained and are going to have the most current and up-to-date training. It makes the department better as a whole.”
“We are so pleased to have these graduates join the Upper Darby Fire Department. Their commitment sets a wonderful example for others who aspire to public service, and they are helping us revitalize the community by serving it in this capacity,” said Upper Darby Mayor Barbarann Keffer.
There are 54 career firefighters in the department. In July, three firefighters graduated from the Fire Academy.
Sawyer said the department hopes to hire another five firefighters as they anticipate a number of retirements in the near future.
“We don’t want to fall below our staffing levels because once you do, it increases your overtime,” Sawyer said. “One of the ways we try to balance overtime cost is by maintaining a fully staffed department.”
Recruits are chosen from a competitive Civil Service process. The recruiting test consists of a written test, a physical agility test, and an oral interview. Based on the scores, they are ranked and hired off of that list, which is good for another six months to a year. Sawyer said after that point, they will begin recruiting in the community and develop a new list.
“What we will try to do is to have the department reflect the community that it serves. We’re going to be recruiting people of a diverse background, including women. We don’t have any women at all in the department,” Sawyer said. “If you look at Upper Darby Township, we have a lot of people of different nationalities. My goal is to make sure people are aware of the opportunity.”
Sawyer said the benefits of having a combination career and volunteer fire department is it creates a pipeline for those volunteers who might decide to make it a career.
“They already have a bond and an understanding of what we do,” he said. “But we don’t want to stick to just the volunteer ranks because the volunteer ranks aren’t that diverse either. We want to get out into the community and tell them about the fire service as a career.”
At least one of the new firefighters has worked his way up as a volunteer at Highland Park Fire Co. Dylan Cullen has been a member there since 2012 and has served in several roles including lieutenant, captain, and member of the board of directors.