VIDEO: Allan Hancock College is celebrating the graduation of dozens of students from its public safety programs, including law enforcement, fire, emergency medical services and nursing.
On Thursday morning, 27 cadets in the program's Battalion 152 earned certificates from the college's Fire Academy during a graduation ceremony held in Lompoc.
"They're motivated," said Leonard Champion, Hancock College Fire Academy Coordinator. "They're at their peak of their physical training, their mental training. They've graduated after 17 1/2 weeks, putting in 680 hours of training. They graduate with 13 certificates and the most important certificate is their firefighter, one that their EMT academy certificate gets them to apply for any department anywhere in the country, and it just states that they've gone through the fundamental foundational training for a firefighter."