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Fire academy graduates new batch of heroes
By BRADY DENNIS, Times Staff Writer DADE CITY -- Just as they began to christen new careers, the 12 members of Pasco-Hernando Community College's Fire Academy No. 27 christened a new building too. They graduated Wednesday evening with more than 100 supporters in the pristine auditorium of the school's new Public Service Technology Building, which won't officially open until August. Cameras flashed. Video recorders rolled. Relatives applauded. And all with good reason. The 12 men in Fire Academy No. 27 laughed together, cried together and sweated together through 450 hours of instruction, six months worth of classes. They ran laps and strained through push-ups and felt their skin nearly melt during practice fires. They burned cars and structures. They packed and rolled 40,000 feet of hose. All so they might call themselves firefighters. "We started out as a group of individuals; we ended as one unit," said class president Mark Herny, who said firefighting was more than a job. "A job is something you do, but a title is something you earn. You put a lot of blood, sweat and tears into a title." They haven't earned the title of firefighter just yet. Each member must first pass a state exam on Tuesday. But getting to where they were Wednesday was no small chore. About 75 men and women attended academy orientation. Of those, 17 took the physical agility test. Only 15 started the academy classes. Only 12 finished successfully. Each one who passes the state exam will then experience the "best kept secret" around, according to New Port Richey Fire Chief Dan Azzariti. "Don't tell anyone, but this is the best job in the world," Azzariti said. "Nothing touches it." The Pasco-Hernando Fire Chiefs Association paid for Wednesday's graduation ceremony. It also provided full tuition for one student, Macho D. Liberti, who finished with the second-highest grade point average. More than 20 area firefighters served as instructors to the class, and many were on hand Wednesday, along with high-ranking fire officials from across Pasco and Hernando counties. But perhaps no one influenced the group more than Tony Hicks, lead instructor and Dade City Fire Rescue lieutenant. The soon-to-be firefighters presented him with a plaque Wednesday with a class photo on the front. But Hicks wasn't ready to quit playing teacher just yet. He gave them one more piece of advice before the July 2 test. "Don't be late," he said. Fire Academy No. 27 graduatesAnthony J. DeFrancisco Richard W. Gregoire Mark E. Herny Macho D. Liberti Michael E. Lizardi William T. Rishell Brian R. Rodeo Justin R. Rollins Scott E. Sanders Bradley Q. Smith Nicholas R. Smith Jose A. Virgen Class awardsBest Overall: Anthony J. DeFrancisco Perfect Attendance (only one): Justin R. Rollins Highest GPA: Richard Gregoire, 96 percent.
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From today's Hernando Times |
