The Contra Costa County Fire Protection District added 22 probationary firefighters to its ranks upon the graduation of Academy 54 recruits Feb. 13 in Walnut Creek. The probationary firefighters will fill slots due to retirements, the increased staffing of the district's truck companies to four personnel and the reopening of fire stations - including Fire Station 16 in Lafayette last September.
At the conclusion of the ceremony, the graduates were given their orders. Christopher Cropley, who delivered the recruit's address to the Lesher Center audience, tore open his envelope and found that he was assigned to Lafayette Fire Station 15. "I am excited and eager to serve the residents of Lafayette," Cropley said.
The new firefighters remain on probation for one year.