The newest firefighters in St. Paul and Minneapolis graduated Friday, including two men who will be the first Somali-American firefighters in St. Paul and possibly the state and nation.
Twenty-three firefighter recruits for St. Paul graduated, including seven women. Eighteen recruits graduated for Minneapolis. The graduates make up a unique and diverse group, from war veterans to Division I athletes, said St. Paul Deputy Fire Chief Roy Mokosso.
Abdi Warsame, 28, and Mohamed Daoud, 24, will be the first Somali-American firefighters in St. Paul. Mokosso said they likely are also the first in Minnesota and the United States.
Daoud was born in Somalia in 1995 and fled the country with his family during the civil war that ravaged it.
He spent part of his life in Kenya, where he finished middle school. He immigrated to the U.S. in 2014. Now a St. Paul resident, Daoud worked in emergency medical services for three years until he learned that the department was hiring firefighters.