Recruits complete training to become South Bend firefighters

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Eight firefighter recruits were sworn into the South Bend Fire Department on Friday after completing 23 weeks of training.

The strenuous training process provided these graduates with experience in fighting fires, knowledge for emergency services, and plenty of conditioning.

One graduate is excited to begin his career as a third-generation firefighter.

“Best recruits I could’ve been with, and I’ve said it before to their faces. There are a lot of good firefighters out there and I think every single one of them is going to be great firefighter. The most rewarding thing was today obviously, aside from that, I’ve made a family. And now, my family of recruits is a family of firefighters. So, I’m a part of a much bigger family too and I’m excited for that as well,” said Matthew Applegate, new firefighter of the South Bend Fire Department.

These eight graduating recruits were in the top one percent of over 800 applicants.