Nine Graduate from RichmondCC Fire Academy

Oct. 3, 2025 - Nine firefighters graduated from Richmond Community College’s Fire Academy on Oct. 1 after more than 400 hours of training. Upon completion, the graduates received their Firefighter I and II certifications with the Office of the State Fire Marshal and their Firefighter Fire and Rescue Commission IFSAC certifications.

In the academy, the firefighters took courses on personal protective equipment, CPR, building construction and fire behavior, ladders and ventilation, hazardous materials, safety and survival, live burn, traffic incident management and much more.

“We would like to thank the Laurinburg Fire Department for hosting the Fire Academy, as well as Richmond Senior High School for allowing us to hold a class there as well,” said Director of Program Development for RichmondCC Angineek Gillenwater. “This is our second class to graduate from the Fire Academy, and we are proud of their hard work and their commitment to becoming better equipped to fight fires and to protect their communities.”

Firefighters in the academy were from the Laurinburg Fire Department, Rockingham Fire Department, North Side Fire Department and Gibson Fire Department.

RichmondCC’s next Fire Academy will be Jan. 13 through Aug. 30 with classes meeting Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6 to 10 p.m. and some Saturdays. To learn more or to enroll, contact Gillenwater at (910) 410-1708 or ajgillenwater@richmondcc.edu.