A week from today, my husband Chris will graduate from Butte College’s 76th firefighting academy. He has worked incredibly hard to reach the finish line, and alongside him is a team of future firefighters who have also risen to the challenge. So I want to dedicate my column today to celebrate their collective achievement.
This academy is rigorous and intense. In 20 weeks, the cadets complete 29 units and earn over a dozen certificates, including EMT and Cal Fire training. Every week they take multiple exams with a minimum of 80% required to pass.
When Chris started the academy, his stack of textbooks seemed like Mount Everest. His backpack threatened to collapse under the weight of all those books. When I helped quiz him before exams, I was overwhelmed by his study guides. They had to memorize so much material in such a short amount of time.
It must have been especially difficult to sit in the classroom and focus on lectures after their physical training in the morning. For example, they have to do an agility course which includes throwing ladders, chopping with an ax, pulling weights up a building, running stairs, and other stuff, and they have to do it all in under 6 minutes and 30 seconds!
Not only is a high level of fitness required, but on the training grounds they had to face their fears. Chris told me that many cadets conquered their fear of heights when they belayed off the top of a 4-story building and climbed up and down a 35-foot extension ladder. Others overcame claustrophobia when they crawled through narrow culvert pipes for confined space training. They also did simulations where they had to maneuver in the total darkness of a smoke-filled building to rescue a trapped crew member.
These scenarios required complete trust in their training, and in the person beside them. In the fire service you put your life in your coworkers’ hands everyday. So the academy tries to replicate that dynamic. From what I’ve noticed, it seems like they place a huge emphasis on teamwork and accountability. They divide the cadets into companies so everyone has someone to report to.
For the first half of the academy, I could tell Chris was just focused on trying to pass the tests and get through each day. Then I began to notice a change when he started going out of his way to help his fellow cadets. In the latter half, he got the opportunity to be the captain of his company. He became less concerned with his own experience and more focused on making sure everyone else was doing well. Not because it was his responsibility, but because he really cared about them.
These past months truly brought out the best in my husband. He told me that this was the most mentally and physically challenging experience he’s ever had, but the camaraderie kept him going. I can tell the bonds he formed with his classmates are lifelong friendships.
I am so proud of him for making it this far. And although I haven’t met the other cadets yet, I am proud of them too. Getting up before sunrise every day and coming home exhausted each evening to hit the books isn’t easy. Weekends were consumed with homework, study groups and sometimes going out to the training grounds to put out fires. After all that, there is barely time to iron your uniform and polish your boots.
So to the Class of 76: congratulations! The effort you all put in over these past months has finally paid off. I know there are still state exams to take, and job applications to submit, and the next hurdle of getting hired somewhere is looming ahead. But for now, let’s pause and take a moment to celebrate your success. Who knows, maybe after next week, you might even start to miss getting up at 5 a.m. to run to the cattle guard and back …
You can reach Lizi Lee at: asklizilee@gmail.com
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December 02, 2021 at 07:03PM
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Congratulations to the 76th Butte Fire Academy - Chico Enterprise-Record
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