Complete program that places  rigorous academic, physical, and mental demands on its graduates

Yavapai Community College announced in a December 17 press release that 18 men and women graduated from the College’s Fire Academy.  This was the second Yavapai Community College  Fire Academy graduating class of  this year.

Yavapai Community College President Dr. Lisa Rhine, when addressing the graduates, observed that  “completing this program is no small feat. You have demonstrated unwavering commitment to a field that demands skill, resilience, and above all, a servant’s heart… Graduates, as you move forward, remember that you are part of a proud legacy of those who put others before themselves. I urge you to continue striving for excellence, to serve with integrity, and to always uphold the values that brought you to this point.”

Community College Director of Fire Science Robert Borker said in addressing the graduates  that “caring and compassion” are the most important characteristics of first responders and he asked the graduates to treat the fire service like a national forest. “You take only pictures, leave only footprints and leave it better than you found it. If you do that, the fire service will take care of you if you take care of each other.”

Following are the graduates of YC Fire Academy Class 24-02:

Noah Allen, Jeremy Carroll, Rachel Dewees, Patrick Eyler, Austin Fradette, Korin Franks, Eric Jackson, Sunshine Johnson, Jordan Kelley, Joshua Kidwiler, Alexander King, Zachary Morgan, Tyler Petersen, Drew Peterson, Karl Samter, Henry Schulman, Benjamin Schwartz and Mason Taylor.

No further information provided the public since last May’s statement by Dr. Rhine regarding the possible return of fire science program to Verde Valley Campus that was moved to Prescott over a year ago if instructors and students could be found—Could this be a first step in returning program to the Verde Valley Campus?

In an October 4, 2023,  posting by Mr. Robert Borker, Yavapai Community College’s Director of Fire Science, it was announced that in cooperation with the International Society of Fire Service Instructors and the Yavapai Community College Fire Science division, fire service professionals from around the State recently attended Live Fire Instructor credentialing classes held at the Verde Valley Fire Training Center in Cottonwood.

Mr. Boker explained that the “Fire Fixed Facility Instructor Credential Program is a unique blend of distance learning and an intense three-day hands-on academy. The course focuses on the responsibilities of instructors charged with important safety duties as live fire instructors.”

He said that the course is “based on the NFPA 1403 Standard on Live Fire Training. Students completed an extensive on-line course prior to the hands-on live fire portion. They were challenged by a series of written and practical examinations to earn this three-year credential. Yavapai College is leading the industry by requiring our fire academy instructors to attend this course keeping with industry best practices.”

You may recall that back in May 2023, Yavapai Community College president Dr. Lisa Rhine was asked about the reason for closing down the Fire Science training program on the Verde Campus more than a year ago.  She said that the program once alternated between the Verde Campus and Prescott.  However, over the past several years there has been a decline in student enrollment in the Verde Valley and a decrease in qualified instructors for the program. Therefore, the program was permanently moved to Prescott.

Dr. Rhine also said that Director Borker was aware of the issue and was working with all the fire chiefs and advisory boards to try and return the  fire science back to the Verde Campus.   She said that if the Verde Valley Campus can produce 15 students and five qualified instructors who live in the Verde Valley, it will be returned.

It is not clear whether the Community College has yet found the students or qualified instructors to return the program to the Verde Valley Campus. The College has not issued any further public update to the statement made by Dr. Rhine in May. But is it possible this training course at the Verde Valley Fire Training Center is a good first step?

Spent much of the training  at the Central Arizona Regional Training Academy in Prescott Valley mastering the physical, intellectual and mental demands of the fire service

According to a news release from Yavapai Community College, twelve cadets celebrated completion of their 16-week training program at the Yavapai Community College Fire Academy on December 16.  The celebration was held at the Central Arizona Regional Training Academy in Prescott Valley.

In congratulatory remarks to the graduates, Central Arizona Fire and Medical Authority Battalion Chief Cougan Carothers said firefighters can expect to touch hundreds of thousands of lives during their careers. “We as individuals working together for something bigger than ourselves can change the world one person at a time.”

Lukas Becker spoke on behalf of his fellow academy graduates. “In the last sixteen weeks the instructors and staff of this academy have washed my brain of apathy and replaced it with empathy; removed laziness and replaced it with work ethic; and replaced self-centeredness with self-sacrifice,” Becker said. He pledged to his audience that the “12 strong” fall 2021 graduating class would be accountable for the values and skills the academy bestowed on them. “We are all personally responsible for living the lessons we learned here and applying them daily,” he said.

Lead instructors for the latest cohort of YC Fire Academy graduates were Matt Fischer, Mike Edgerton, Cory Fischer, Tim Tillich and Jim Bushman.

Following are the newest YC Fire Academy graduates:

Blake Armstrong

Thomas Barnes

Matthew Dalcerro

Jacob Loaiza

Tristan Newman

Daniel Smith

Trevis Baier

Lukas Becker

Matthew Gonzalez

Noah Medrano

Dylan Schoch

Cade Thein

Source:  Yavapai Community College news release by J.J. McCormack dated December 18, 2021 https://www.yc.edu/v6/news/2021/12/fire.html.