As the Tri-Cities area continues to grow so does the need for first responders.
And after weeks of training, thirty-three new recruits are on their way to filling the empty positions.
"This is the first time that there's been live fire in the buildings for us," said Sam Monds, a firefighter recruit.
Monds is one of the recruits going through the fire structure academy.
"It's completely something you didn't expect and its just cool to see and watch and learn about," said Monds. Monds will soon be certified to be a firefighter in the region; serving Benton, Franklin and Walla Walla counties.
After weeks of training, recruits dealt with live fire for the very first time; assessing the behavior and deciding how to handle it.