AUBURN, Ala.- The Auburn Fire Department is proud to announce the graduation of its 2022 recruit class, effective Aug. 5, 2022:

Bladen Adams of Hoover, AL
Miles Ballard of Auburn, AL
Mary Barrontine of Orange Beach, AL
Braxton Bauer of Fairhope, AL
Brock Belyeu of Auburn, AL
John Asheton Benefield of Auburn, AL
Tucker Cantrell-Wright of Auburn, AL
Angelo Dorizas of Auburn, AL
William Harding of Chattanooga, TN
Madison Knowlton of Auburn, AL
Kelvin Maloy of Tuskegee, AL
Zachary Melton of Thompson’s Station, TN
Jacob Otto of Madison, MS
Lance Owens of Montgomery, AL
Peter Stavros of Cleveland, GA
Matthew Thornton of Auburn, AL
Thomas Walls of Germantown, TN

Phenix City Fire and Rescue had two recruits to graduate with the class:

Austin Brown of Phenix City, AL
Anthony Young of Columbus, GA

Auburn Fire’s Recruit School is conducted in conjunction with Alabama Fire College to meet and exceed state standards and curriculum. This rigorous and challenging 11-week program allows recruits to obtain their Firefighter I and II Certification, Hazardous Materials Awareness and Operations Certification and their Rapid Intervention Team Certification.

“Our firefighters are on the frontlines protecting our community by responding to all types of hazards and emergencies. Auburn’s Fire Recruit School prepares them with physical, mental and technical skills to perform their jobs effectively and safely,” said Auburn Fire Chief John Lankford.

The Auburn Fire Department developed its physical training program to include not only physical fitness benchmarks but also team-building qualities. This year’s class quote inspired the graduates to “strive to be better than who you were yesterday.”

The following awards were presented during graduation:

Academic Award to John Asheton Benefield
Honor Graduate to Zachary Melton
Physical Fitness Award to Peter Stavros

This year’s recruit class marks the growth of the program with the graduation of three separate second and third generation public safety workers, some of whom went through the same recruit school when first starting out in their careers.

“This class was a special one to us. Seeing the children and grandchildren of public safety workers apply themselves with determination to become first responders themselves is a testament to the quality and longevity of the program,” said Anthony Gilmore, Auburn Fire training officer.

Auburn's 17 graduates are also members of the City of Auburn’s Student Firefighter Program. Student firefighters who pass the Candidate Physical Ability Test and complete fire graduation work alongside Auburn’s career firefighters under the direct supervision of an experienced lieutenant. They will fill needed firefighter staffing positions within the City of Auburn and are fully certified to work at any fire department in the state of Alabama.

Student firefighters must be full-time college students and maintain a minimum 2.0 grade point average to remain in the program. To learn more about Auburn Fire’s Recruit School or the Student Firefighter Program, visit auburnalabama.org/public-safety/student-programs/student-firefighter.