Lubbock Fire Rescue graduates the 2016-1 class of fire fighters on Thursday after a standard year of probation.

“We use that first year not only to train but to evaluate all of these fire fighters,” LFR Battalion Chief of Training Nick Wilson said. 

This marks the one year anniversary for those fire fighters after continuous training while serving along side the rest of the department.

However, Battalion Chief Wilson said each new graduating class is different. 

“One of the great things about the fire service is that it always changes,” Battalion Chief Wilson said. “We’re always getting better, we’re evolving. The city, the population we protect are always changing so we have to change in the same way.”

As the City of Lubbock changes with each new hotel, apartment complex, or the downtown revitalization, Lubbock Fire Rescue said they must also evolve to best protect their citizens. 

“The recruit classes of today are far more prepared to do the job than I was or any of the guys that graduated with me,” Battalion Chief Wilson said.  “That’s mainly because we expect so much more of them.”
 
They currently are expanding their training facilities to mirror structures around town. While also incorporating different specialties in the program, like military and police training. 
 
“All the different specialty teams that they have to be involved in, and of course the medical side, which again, 20 plus years ago we weren’t involved in all of that,” Battalion Chief Wilson said. “So we ask these guys to be intermediate, be paramedics, the reporting that they have to do. So the requirements of the job, the difficulties of the job. The number of things that we really need them to be experts in is far beyond anything we experienced 20 years ago.”
 
The first class of the year, 2017-1, just started three weeks ago. Battalion Chief Wilson said even they will be better prepared than the graduating class now. 
 
“There won’t be anything new that they have seen in a new situation where they’re not mentally, physically, academically prepared for when they do go out on shift.”