Wilmington Fire Department swears in Class of ’23 firefighters

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — The Wilmington Fire Department swore in its newest class of firefighters at the Wilmington Convention Center on Friday, July 28th.

This year’s class had 15 recruits, who all began training back in January and completed more than 1,000 hours of training.

As part of the ceremony, each recruit had their firefighter badges pinned onto their uniforms by a family member or loved one and were handed their helmet.

Jack White was the class’s leadership award recipient.

He said every member of the class is honored to be able to serve Wilmington residents.

“Well, I definitely would like them to know that we all care, we are all incredibly passionate about this job and the city,” White said. “We want to help everybody, no matter how big or small the task is, we’re all here to help. It could be getting out of a car seat, could be pulling out of a building, could be anything. We’re here to help, no matter what.”

Along with receiving their badges and helmets, each recruit was assigned to a truck at one of four stations in Wilmington.

The next class of recruits has already been chosen and will begin training in October.

If you’re interested in applying to become a firefighter, there is more information at : www.wilmingtonnc.gov/departments/fire-department/recruitment.