BATON ROUGE - Fire departments in Baton Rouge and surrounding areas welcomed 27 new firefighters to their teams at a graduation ceremony on Thursday.

The firefighters underwent a rigorous six-month training that included earning certain certifications and advanced skills.

"I'm feeling great. It's been a long six months. We've been working hard and had rigorous training. But we're here and we're all excited to be here. It's been great. We have a lot of like-minded guys in here and we all worked hard since day one so here we all are, ready to go, and get the job done," new Baton Rouge firefighter Brad Olivier said.

Each graduate has received certifications in Firefighter I & II, Hazardous Materials Awareness and Operations and Emergency Medical Technician. They also completed specialized training in vehicle extrication and other critical emergency response skills.

"What I love about this is seeing these young men move on in their career. It's something they've dreamed about most of their life to get to this point and now they are getting out of this academy to go out and do the work they've prepared their life for. These guys are very well prepared to move on and provide service to our citizens," Baton Rouge Fire Chief Michael Kimble said.

Graduates will join various fire departments across the region, including:

Baton Rouge Fire Department – 18 graduates

City of Baker Fire Department – 1 graduate

Denham Springs Fire Department – 1 graduate

Point Coupee Fire Protection District 4 – 1 graduate

Zachary Fire Department – 5 graduates

Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport – 1 graduate