2017 PARAMEDIC CLASS GRADUATES

14 members of class of 2017 receive certification in West Side ceremony

14 students have upgraded their skills during classes at the Albuquerque Fire Academy to become certified as paramedics.

After more than 1,600 hours of rigorous classroom study and training, the 2017 paramedic class from the Albuquerque Fire Department Fire Academy finally reached graduation on Thursday afternoon.

The class of ’17 included 11 individuals from the AFD in addition to three more from Albuquerque Ambulance Service. Despite beginning at 2 p.m. during the middle of the week, the auditorium at Legacy Church on the West Side was filled with at least 50 friends and family members who had come out to support their loved ones.

“It’s a relief,” said Jeffrey S. Forney from the AFD, one of the class valedictorians, when asked how it felt to graduate. “It was a lot of hard work that paid off.”

Classes took place at the Albuquerque Fire Academy, which functions as a “satellite campus” of the University of New Mexico’s Emergency Medical Services Academy, said AFD Chief David Downey.

According to Downey, all firefighters are at least EMT-basics, but only about a third are paramedics. Paramedics can administer a higher level of medical care. By upgrading their skills, the graduates have transitioned to that more exclusive group.

“They can do some pretty fantastic things,” Downey said.

During the ceremony, graduates were presented with traditional certificates in addition to some other unique items. For example, Antonio R. Romero was the winner of the Heat Magnet Award — which is given to the student who, during clinicals and internships, attracts the most complicated calls.

Rather than a medal or ribbon, he was presented with a fidget spinner — a toy marketed as a way of relieving stress.

Each graduate also received a stethoscope, which was carefully draped around their necks as they neared the end of the stage after receiving their certificate.

“I’m just proud of their commitment and their willingness to serve at a higher level,” Downey said.