Our nephew Brandon graduated from the LA County Fire Department Explorer Academy on Saturday February 14, 2009. It was an awesome graduation, not just the speeches and the presentation of the certificates and blah blah blah... LA County Fire knows how to spice it up! We had a helicopter fly-over during the Star-Spangled Banner and then a subsequent water drop right next to us, closest water drop I've ever seen! And then a host of demonstrations including hose lays, ladder techniques, breathing apparatus, 2nd story building fire evac simulation, and then two cars on fire being extinguished. 'Twas awesome! The Explorer Academy puts young men and women, aged 15-21, through 8 weekends of intensive training on how to be a firefighter. Upon graduation they can then go on ride-alongs and learn even more about what it takes to be a firefighter. I'm hoping Brandon will continue in his training and maybe become a wildland firefighter with the Forest Service :)
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