The current COVID-19 pandemic has shifted the way MDFR normally prepares for and conducts graduation ceremonies. With social distancing measures in effect to help stop the spread of the virus, MDFR took extraordinary measures in order to ensure continuous professional career development and training. “Putting our valuable fire training capabilities on standby was not a viable option,” said MDFR Training & Safety Division Chief Nicolas Morgado, ”so we had to look at other ways to be able to still deliver the training to our recruits, fostering team building and team work, all while following the CDC recommended guidelines,” he added. 

By augmenting the work schedule and reducing the amount of the recruits who were physically attending each instructional class, only one recruit class was ultimately able to train at our MDFR Headquarters at a time, with all members wearing facial coverings at all times. All social distancing safety measures were enforced and observed during hands-on training, while the remaining recruits completed their course work assignments remotely and virtually from home, all to ensure additional fire personnel can be allocated in the field to be ready to serve our communities. 

Following rigorous and uniquely skilled training to not only fight fires and save property, but also to save people’s lives, a combined total of 46 firefighters from Class 141 and Class 143 will swear-in to officially receive their badges and become full-time Miami-Dade Fire Rescue firefighters.
During the combined swearing-in ceremony, uniformed recruits from Class 141 and Class 143 will receive their certificates and exchange a salute with MDFR Fire Chief Alan R. Cominsky.

Friday’s ceremony will be live-streamed so friends and family of the recruits can watch live. Given this health emergency, attendance to the ceremony will be limited to just the recrutis and necessary fire personnel. A traditional graduation ceremony will be held at a later date.
 Watch live: https://livestream.com/accounts/14988822/events/9120256