Cherokee County Fire Recruits Graduate

Press release from CCFES:

Feb. 7, 2023

Cherokee County Fire & Emergency Services held a graduation ceremony for thirty-three recruits at Woodstock First Baptist Church in Woodstock, GA Friday evening, February 3rd.

The graduation began at 6:30 p.m. with a welcome from Training Chief, Daniel Carder. Fire Chaplain Marshall Thomas gave the invocation, asking for protection of these recruits as they enter this profession and work to protect the lives and property of others. Fire Apparatus Operator Jedidiah Martin sang the National Anthem during the presentation of our nation’s colors.

A video was presented to the audience, highlighting some of the training the recruits underwent during their forty-week training session.

Of the thirty-three recruits graduating, two were selected as spokespersons, Ryan Nick and Charles Perry III. Captain Chris Ginn introduced these spokespersons after giving the recruits a few words of wisdom as they embark on the next phase of their careers.

Ryan Nick thanked the instructors that helped each of them accomplish their recruit training. He thanked the family and friends in the audience for their support and spoke about the honor he has to be able to work alongside the other firefighters in this department and to wear the badge of Cherokee County Fire.

Charles Perry III thanked the audience for coming out and supporting their firefighters this evening. He reflected on his recruit school experience and how the relationship amongst his class grew through over the past ten months as they worked hard to complete their training.

Three awards were presented to graduates that performed above and beyond. Instructor Jim Laughlin presented the Clark Waters Award to Joshua Meeks. This award was named after Sergeant Douglas Clark Waters Jr, a Cherokee County Firefighter who passed away in 2003.

The Pinnacle Award was presented by Instructor and retired Battalion Chief, Tom Pelletier. The Pinnacle Award is the highest achievement a recruit can obtain. The recipient is selected by the instructors, and this year’s award was presented to Samantha Jordan.

The Jill Mabley Star of Life Award was presented by Instructor Sandra Johnson. This award is named after Medical Director Jill Mabley MD, FACEP who served as the CCFES Medical Director for two decades. This year’s recipient was Aaron Moore, and he was selected for his excellent work during his Advanced EMT training.

Cherokee County Board of Commissioners Chairman Harry Johnston spoke to the audience and welcomed the graduates to the best fire department in our nation. He talked about how everyone looks up to firefighters as superheroes. He thanked them for being the superheroes of our community and reminded them of the high expectation that is bestowed upon them.

Next, Shane West, Deputy Chief or Support Services, came to the podium. He thanked everyone in the department that helped get the recruits to this point. He thanked the family and friends of the recruits for standing beside and supporting them through this training and their decision to choose this profession. Chief West challenged the recruits to always work aggressively and purposefully to achieve the mission of CCFES to preserve life and property, promote public safety, and foster economic growth. Chief West then introduce the CCFES Fire Chief, Eddie Robinson.

Chief Robinson congratulated the recruits for their accomplishments and thanked the current and retired firefighters, police officers, and veterans in the audience for their service to their communities and our nation. Chief Robinson acknowledged the recruit instructors and thanked them for the hard work and love that they poured into these recruits over the past ten months. To the recruits, Chief Robinson spoke about the things they would see over their career. He stated “I want you to think about the fact that somewhere in our community there is a person having the worst day of their life and they’re relying on someone from the fire department to show up and save their life. When you take your oath tonight, you become that someone.”

Chief Robinson swore the graduates in as Cherokee County Fire & Emergency Services Firefighters. The new firefighters then joined the chiefs on stage to receive their certificates and collar insignia. Family and friends of the graduates pinned the new firefighters with their badges.
The recruits graduating included Shaun Allen, Michael Boalch III, Abigail Brownlow, Chase Bush, Jacob Chaffee, Evan Clayton, River Dixon, Brayden Dodge, Matthew Huber, Thaddeus Ingram, Cidnee Jones, Matthew Jones, Samantha Jordan, Matthew Lillquist, Rex McCarley, Cameron McCook, Joshua Meeks, Aaron Moore, Kollin Morgan, Ryon Nick, Benjamin Olson, Charles Perry III, Gabriel Phillips, Robert Reid, Chase Richards, Lauren Sawyer of Woodstock Fire & Rescue, Skylar Smith, Holly Stephens, Bryson Thurmond, Hunter Townsend, Noah Tweedy, Corey Wester, and Blake Williams.

These recruits endured ten months of training and graduated with the credentials of Firefighter II, Hazardous Materials Technician, and Advanced Emergency Medical Technician. They began working in field operations on Sunday, Feb. 5, 2023, in various stations throughout Cherokee County.

This press release was produced by CCFES. The views expressed here are the author's own.