March 27th was a day of celebration for the 53 graduates of the 143rd Recruit Fire Training Academy. The graduation ceremony marked the culmination of the 12-week academy, which prepares cadets for certification as a professional firefighter through classroom and hands-on field training applications. The new firefighters sat for the ProBoard Firefighter II national exams.
Among the proud families attending the ceremony were two TEEX employees who had a special reason to celebrate the occasion. Graduates of Recruit Class 143 included Joshua Moore, son of Chief Robert Moore, Division Director of TEEX Emergency Services Training Institute, and Ethan Ballard, son of Brad Ballard, ESTI Program Coordinator. (In photo, l-r, Brad Ballard, Ethan Ballard, Joshua Moore, Tracy Moore, and Robert Moore at the graduation ceremony.)