Fourteen new firefighter recruits, who completed a three-month program, graduated from the Myrtle Beach Fire Department Recruit School and will start working at several departments in the area.
"You're dealing with approximately sixteen courses and everything from EMS to firefighting to different types of rescue programs," Myrtle Beach Fire Department Battalion Chief Shawn Pratt said.
Family and friends watched the new recruits receive their firefighters' badges at Wednesday's graduation ceremony at the Base Recreation Center in Myrtle Beach.
Eleven of the graduates will work for the city of Myrtle Beach, two will report at Midway Fire and one will go to the Georgetown County Fire Department.
"We're always in need for firefighters to come through our program, based on the need of the city and the departments around us," Pratt added.
The majority of the courses are testable programs and the accomplishment isn't easy.
"They have to have a certain score in order to continue with the program, to have the best firefighter we could possibly have," Pratt said.
Matthew DeCastro, Ryan Mathews, Adham DuMont, Michael Eisenhardt, Christina Egdoe, Steven Garcia, Donald Lippert, Steven McInerney, Thomas Moore, Scott Pillow, Noah Rosenthal, Andrew Smith, Roberto Zaldivar and Joshua Zorzi all graduated Wednesday.
