Fargo & West Fargo Fire Departments hold 10-Week Recruit Training Academy

"We have a total of six fighters going through this 10 week recruit class. Five from Fargo and one from West Fargo."

FARGO, N.D. (KVRR) – Fargo and West Fargo firefighters are joining forces for a recruit training academy.

“We are lucky enough to partner with Fargo in the recruit class. We have a total of six fighters going through this 10 week recruit class. Five from Fargo and one from West Fargo,” West Fargo Fire Dept. Training Chief Matt Berg said.

The training will help with everyday scenarios.

“We run into something different everyday. There’s live fire. It’ll be inside the building back here. There’s vehicle fires, there dumpster fires. So, we run them through the basics and give them all their basic qualifications to let them go out and let them be a part of the department,” said Berg.

The recruits will have to endure some tough challenges in order to pass the course.

“During the testing process to get hired we run them through scenarios. They climb through an aerial ladder truck to make sure that they can handle if they have any fear of heights and we also put them in an SCBA mask that we black out and we put them in a room in a fire station and they have to find their way out,” Fargo Fire Dept. Training Captain Chris Pieper said.

While hands-on training is essential to the job, book work is also important.

“So, they’re assigned a resource of fundamentals firefighter book. The book is over 1,000 pages, but firefighters generally like to work with their hands and their tools so it’s fun teaching them and it’s fun watching them learn and pick up the new skills,” Pieper said.

One recruit says he’s looking forward to the training.

“I’m really looking forward to it. Fargo has a lot to teach us that we haven’t learned. I really just want to learn everything that they can teach me. I don’t know very much. I haven’t been on that long. So learning from experience will really be good to hope grow me into a better firefighter for when it’s my turn to teach the next person,” West Fargo Fire Dept. Firefighter Recruit David Babb said.

Once the recruits successfully complete their training they will be commemorated with a graduation ceremony on May 14th.