WS Chronicle

Thirty-nine individuals from various parts of the community joined the ranks of the Winston-Salem Fire Department (WSFD) last Friday morning as Fire Recruit Class 24 held their graduation ceremony at Revo Church.

This marked the end of their training and the beginning of a new journey as first responders.

During the ceremony held to honor the local fire departments largest graduating class in history, Mayor Allen Joines said the provision of public safety to citizens is the highest calling of city government. He said, “As Mayor it is my honor and my pleasure to thank each one of you for your willingness to step up and put your lives at risk to protect and serve the citizens of Winston-Salem.

“The first service is one of the most noble professions that there is dating back to the Roman times,” continued Joines. “So, on behalf of our 242,000 citizens here in Winston-Salem, thank you, thank you and welcome to the family of the city of Winston-Salem.”

Council Member James Taylor Jr., who serves as chairman of the Public Safety Committee and as publisher of The Chronicle, offered his congratulations to the graduating class as well.

Taylor who is native of the city said, “I thank you for your commitment and dedication to make our city better place.”

Mayor Pro Tempore Vivian Burke, City Manager Lee Garrity and Council Members Dan Besse and John Larson spoke during the graduation ceremony as well. The keynote address was delivered by Thomas Jenkins, fire chief in Rogers, Arkansas.

When addressing the graduates and their families, Chief Trey Mayo, who has nearly 30 years of experience in fire services, shared some advice with Recruit Class 24 to help them have a successful and enjoyable career. As he stood behind the podium Chief Mayo instructed the graduates to come to work each day with a good attitude.

He said, “If you come to work with a good attitude every day even though things aren’t perfect, you can still deliver the excellent customer service that our customers have come to expect from the fire department.”

Chief Mayo also encouraged the new recruits to be engaged with the community through events hosted by the fire department, stay physically fit and healthy, and remember that the WSFD should be a priority.

“What you do for the next 30 years in this job dictates what’s going to happen in your life and your retirement income from the day you retire until the day you die,” said Mayo. “So remember what your primary job is.”   

Four of the graduates are African-American.

Last year alone the Winston-Salem Fire Department responded to 27,056 calls; 829 of those calls were fire calls and 17,634 were EMS/Rescue calls.