MARKHAM, Local News - There's strength in numbers, as the saying goes, and Markham muscled up its firefighting team by adding 28 new recruits to its Fire and Emergency Services team on January 27th, 2012.
After 14 weeks of intense training, Mayor Frank Scarpitti and Fire Chief Bill Snowball formally welcomed the 26 firefighters, a fire prevention officer, and a dispatch operator, to the already 250-plus strong Fire and Emergency Services personnel. The graduation ceremony was held at the Markham Theatre for the Performing Arts.
The new graduates began their training in October, 2011. Chief Snowball said that the 26 firefighters from today's ceremony will be starting next week with the opening of Markham's ninth fire station.
Markham Mayor Frank Scarpitti was in attendance, with these words of praise.
"I know you have worked hard for this day, but it really started long before you even began your training. You were chosen out of hundreds of applications that we received."
New Firefighter Greg Bray said that he comes from a fire family himself, his father having served as a firefighter in Caledon for over 25 years. He hopes that one day his own children will follow in his footsteps.
New recruit Kristiaan Engel with daughters Kristiana and Tristan
Of course, as hard as these recruits have been put through the rigors of training for a career in firefighting, the best recognition any of them would want came from the daughter of new Firefighter Kristiaan Engel. As he was receiving his hat, from amongst the crowd of family and friends in attendance came a proud, little voice: "DADDY!! DADDY!!".
How do you top that?
TOP and BOTTOM PHOTO: The newest recruits to Markham Fire and Emergency Services (all photos by Alex Urosevic for News24Network)
