LAFD Graduates Academy Class Early To Assist with COVID-19 Pandemic
LOS ANGELES – As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Los Angeles City Fire Department (LAFD) accelerated the timeline of its current recruit class to augment staffing of firefighters available to work in the field.
On April 9, 2020, LAFD Chief Ralph Terrazas presided over a modified Recruit Academy graduation of 49 new firefighters at the Department’s Panorama City training facility. During the brief ceremony attended by LAFD Command Staff and Recruit Academy instructors, the 44 men and five women of LAFD Recruit Class 2019-1, received their badges and pledged their duty to the City as the Department’s newest probationary firefighters. They will begin working at their first fire stations on Sunday, April 12, 2020.
The move to accelerate the class timeline by approximately four weeks came as the Department prepared for a possible surge in critically ill COVID-19 patients, as well as a proactive measure to increase Department staffing should there be a significant increase in LAFD members who may be affected by the virus.
“The LAFD is taking every step necessary to ensure we fulfill our mission of protecting life and property in Los Angeles during the COVID pandemic, and I am proud of the 49 recruits who officially joined our ranks today,” said LAFD Chief Ralph Terrazas. “These recruits completed their training in the midst of extraordinary circumstances and I am excited to have them join us on the front lines as we work together to mitigate the spread of the COVID virus.”
