LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) – 20 new firefighters are ready to serve the City of North Las Vegas.
The cadets were honored Thursday afternoon inside the Horn Theater at the College of Southern Nevada, Cheyenne campus. All graduates completed 20 weeks of intensive training as a part of the fire recruit academy, including learning how to respond to medical emergencies, car crashes, technical rescues and, of course, fires.
Christophe Levy was one of the graduates and the oldest in his class at 44 years old. Levy was born and raised in France and was a firefighter there for more than 20 years and said he followed his American dream here.
“After 9/11 I was so shocked, that I swore to myself that I wanted to become a firefighter in America. So, it took me 22 years. Little by little, I did not speak English, but I still wanted to be a firefighter, so I trained and trained again and here I am in Las Vegas.”
Levy said he also celebrated his birthday on Thursday, and said it was a good day to realize his dream of becoming a firefighter in the US.
Sadie Perkins is another graduate and is only 19 years old. She is the only woman in her class.
She says neither she nor her classmates ever let that stand in the way of making it through the program.
“It’s definitely been an honor. I felt very lucky to be the only female in this class,” Perkins said. “I know a lot of people think you’re going to be treated differently and things are going to be harder for you. My classmates never made it that way. They pushed me, they held me to the same standards that they were held to. They expected what they had to do out of me always.”
Perkins said she is one of three women firefighters in the entire department.
The graduates will now move into full-time positions at one of the department’s eight stations in North Las Vegas.
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