VIDEO: Dante Farina retired from the Orlando Fire Department in 2019 after 29 years of service.
Now, he is back at new recruit training with the Seminole County Fire Department. His spark rekindled after Farina was asked a simple question by a firefighter at another department. "He asked me if I miss the fire service and I said every day. He says, 'we're running a hiring process, you should apply.' So I went home, spoke with my wife, and she was on board with it," he said.
His wife was also a firefighter for 20 years. But when the 56-year-old applied, he was rejected. "I applied, and I scored in the top 10. They didn’t even touch me, they didn’t want me."
That just lit the fire inside of him even more. Farina was determined to prove he still had what it took.