CCCC Logo

College News

CCCC's Firefighter Academy graduates 14

01.17.2012 • College & Community, Continuing Education

SANFORD - Central Carolina Community College's Firefighter Academy graduated 14 students during a Dec. 21 ceremony at the Dennis A. Wicker Civic Center.

Over a six-month period, the graduates had completed 833 hours of rigorous and intensive fire fighting, safety and survival, physical agility, and emergency medical technician training at the college's Emergency Services Training Center, in Sanford.

Academy graduates received certification in Firefighter I & II, HAZMAT Level One Responder, Technical Rescuer General, and Technical Rescue VMR. They are eligible to take the state certification exam in EMT Basic. Awards presented at the graduation were: Most Improved, Jennifer Thomas; Valedictorian, Derec Mercer; and Leadership Award, Joshua Strickland.

Those graduating were Kyle Marcus Goodwin, sponsored by Moncure Fire Department; Jennifer Irene Thomas and Matthew Daniel Webster, both sponsored by Benhaven Emergency Services; William Tanner Gilfillan, Brian Thomas Campbell, and Joshua Gordon Strickland, all sponsored by Apex F.D.; Derec John Mercer, sponsored by Crains Creek F.D.; Michael Joseph Hunter Molston, sponsored by Anderson Creek E.S.; Douglas Linwood Jackson, sponsored by Northview F.D.; Charles Wesley Smith, sponsored by Buies Creek F.D.; Michael Dean Weaver, Jr., sponsored by Lillington F.D.; Jeremy Ryan Blanton, sponsored by Cypress Pointe F.D.; Justin Michael Barker, sponsored by Carthage F.D.; and Keagan O'Connor McDonald, sponsored by Stedman F.D.

The college began offering fire fighter training classes in 1964. In 2001, the Emergency Services Training Center was established at the former Sanford/Lee County Airport site in Sanford, providing greatly expanded facilities for training.

Since then, a new classroom building, Class-A burn building, 40-foot rescue training tower and other facilities have been added on the 116-acre site. The Firefighter Academy opened in January 2010, with Capt. Wilbert 'Tramp' Dunn, Raleigh Fire Department (retired) as coordinator.

For more information about CCCC's Firefighter Academy, contact Joey Shue, CCCC Fire and Rescue coordinator, at (919) 777-7778 or jshue@cccc.edu. The ESTC is a department of the college's Division of Economic and Community Development.

CCCC's Firefighter Academy graduates 14

Central Carolina Community College's Firefighter Academy graduated 14 students during a Dec. 21 ceremony at the Dennis A. Wicker Civic Center. The graduates had completed 833 hours of rigorous training at the college's Emergency Services Training Center, in Sanford. The graduates were (kneeling, from left) Kyle Goodwin, sponsored by Moncure Fire Department; Jennifer Thomas and Matthew Webster, both sponsored by Benhaven Emergency Services; William Gilfillan, sponsored by Apex F.D.; Derec Mercer, sponsored by Crains Creek F.D.; and Michael Molston, sponsored by Anderson Creek E.S.; and (standing, from left) Brian Campbell, sponsored by Apex F.D.; Douglas Jackson, sponsored by Northview F.D.; Charles Smith, sponsored by Buies Creek F.D.; Michael Weaver, Jr., sponsored by Lillington F.D.; Capt. Wilbert 'Tramp' Dunn, Firefighter Academy coordinator; Joshua Strickland, sponsored by Apex F.D.; Jeremy Blanton, sponsored by Cypress Pointe F.D.; Justin Barker, sponsored by Carthage F.D.; and Keagan McDonald, sponsored by Stedman F.D. Awards presented at the graduation were: Most Improved, Jennifer Thomas; Valedictorian, Derec Mercer; and Leadership Award, Joshua Strickland. For more information about the Firefighter Academy, contact Joey Shue, (919) 777-7778 or jshue@cccc.edu .