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Omaha Fire Department Adds 22 Firefighters

Posted at 5:38 PM, Apr 13, 2018
and last updated 2018-04-13 18:38:34-04

It was a big day for the 22 men and women that became a part of the Omaha Fire Department this afternoon.

The new recruits graduated from the training academy and received their badges this afternoon at city hall. Valedictorian Ross Passmore says after countless pushups and running stairs, it's a relief to finish training and finally become a firefighter.

"This is the day you look forward to, this is the end of a big moment of your life, so this is a great experience and a perfect way to end it," says Passmore. 

The candidates underwent 13 weeks of physical and mental training before getting their badges and battalion chief of training Chris Langlois says in that time they showed they're up for the demanding job. 

"This class was probably one of the physically strongest classes that we've had, we put them through a lot of very physical training," says Langlois.

The new firefighters will allow the department to become fully staffed after several recent retirements.