SFSC Graduates Fire Science and Emergency Medical Services Students
SFSC graduated a class of eight students from its Fire Science program, 10 students from its Paramedic program, and seven students from its Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) program during an evening ceremony at the Alan Jay Wildstein Center for the Performing Arts on the Highlands Campus on Friday, Jan. 27.
Receiving their Fire Science certificates were: Jackson Campbell, Christopher Davies, Iverson De La Nuez, Wayland Hayes, Roman Mancillas IV, Travis McKenna Jr., Chelsea Miller, and James Warren. Receiving their Paramedic certificates were Rocio Bazzano, Danielle Hester, Michael Linfante, Shelby Merritt, Clinton Norris, Kaley Piggott, Anthony Planeta, Aaron Prevatte, Martin Ramos, and Jordan Tipton. Receiving their EMT certificates were: Anthony Anderson, Michael Bacevic, Nicole Beard, Zachary Beasley, Yajahaira Buentello, Julian Cubilette, and Trina Hipp.
Five students were recognized for special achievement. Christopher Davies earned the highest GPA in Fire Science, Chelsea Miller was acknowledged for leadership in Fire Science, Martin Ramos earned the highest GPA for lecture in the Paramedic program, Rocio Bazzano earned highest GPA for lab in the Paramedic program, and Yajahaira Buentello earned recognition for earning the highest GPA in lecture and highest GPA in lab in the EMT program.
The guest speaker was Chief Brandon Ball of the Wauchula Police Department and adjunct instructor in SFSC’s EMT, Paramedic, Fire Science, and Criminal Justice programs. He addressed the graduates: “You are going to bear witness to the absolute best and the absolute worst our community has to offer. Your training prepared you to deal with both. However, your training’s only just begun. It’s the foundation that you’re going to build upon for the rest of your life. Every day, you’re going to walk away with insights that will prove useful to you at a later date.
“When you go home at the end of your shift, you won the game for that 24-hour period. The average public safety employee will spend approximately 20 years navigating the pressures of ever-changing shifts, sleepless nights, financial hardships, and the mental burdens of the things that you see day in and day out. Go home at the end of every shift. Commit yourself to your family, teammates, and always stay at top of your game. The training you received today will likely save your life tonight. It may save the life of a family member or someone sitting right next to you tomorrow. Focus on seeking out those in need and commit to making our community a little safer place to reside.
“Stay humble. Stay dedicated. Focus on doing the right thing all the time. Your ethics and integrity are the foundations by which we’re all going to be judged.”
Graduates of the Fire Fighter Career Certificate program have completed 492 contact hours of training. A cohort of cadets enroll in the Firefighter I course, often with the expectation of continuing through to Firefighter II training. Firefighter II training is required for those who wish to be employed as professional firefighters in Florida.
The paramedic graduates completed an 11-month College Credit Certificate course offered through SFSC’s Emergency Medical Services (EMS) program. Paramedics work as part of an emergency response team called out to traffic accidents, fires, and other life-threatening situations.
The EMT graduates completed the 16 weeks of training, or 300 contact hours, in the program. Upon completion of the program, graduates are eligible to apply to take the Florida EMT State Board Exam. EMTs function as part of an emergency rescue and transportation team by responding to emergency calls through a dispatch system, operating emergency vehicles safely, assessing scenes of accidents or illnesses, setting priorities for treating patients based on their degree of illness or injury, providing pre-hospital emergency care to treat trauma, shock, wounds, and other medical issues.
For more information about any of SFSC’s Public Safety programs, contact the SFSC Advising and Counseling Center at ext. 7131.
