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Laredo Fire Department pins badges on 38 graduates of Academy Class 37; speakers emphasize mental‑health support and readiness
Summary
Thirty‑eight cadets completed Laredo Fire Department Academy Class 37 and received badge pinning and station assignments during a graduation ceremony where city leaders and department officials highlighted mental‑health resources, ongoing training and upcoming station construction.
Thirty‑eight cadets graduated from the Laredo Fire Department Academy Class 37 and received badge pinning and station assignments at a ceremony in Laredo, officials said. Family members and city and department leaders attended the event, which included remarks about the physical and emotional demands of firefighting and references to upcoming station construction and departmental resources.
The graduates completed an extended academy program speakers variously described as roughly 20–24 months of combined paramedic and fire training. Fire Chief Guillermo Hurd presented badges and welcomed the new members, saying the department’s motto reflects a mindset as much as a task: “ready for duty is just not is it isn't just about what we do, it is who we are.”
Why it matters: The new hires expand Laredo’s front‑line emergency workforce as the city grows; speakers emphasized both operational readiness and the need for support systems for first responders who frequently confront traumatic incidents.
City and department leaders used the ceremony to note investments in equipment, facilities and peer‑support resources. Assistant City Manager and retired fire chief Steve Landin said, “The city's committed to provide equipment to the organization through your chief's requests and through the city council's approval,” and described planned budget work this year to support the department. District 1 representative Gilbert Gonzales told graduates that some will be posted to new fire stations that “are gonna start construction pretty soon,” tying the class hires to the city’s strategic placement of future stations.
Speakers repeatedly urged families and colleagues to watch for signs of stress in first responders. Councilman Ruben Gutierrez Jr., District 5, warned that firefighters “see things that your typical person shouldn't see,” and asked family members to “watch out for our heroes as well.” Assistant City Manager Landin and others highlighted peer groups and a new mental‑health center being built beside headquarters as formal supports for personnel.
The ceremony included prayers and remarks from Sisters of Mercy representatives and a class address by the graduating class speaker, Joe Paso Jr., who called the cadets a “family” forged through training and said, “We did it.” Organizers then conducted a badge‑pinning sequence that named each cadet and announced their assigned station and shift; assignments covered station numbers listed during the ceremony, including stations numbered 1 through 14.
Practical notes announced at the close included a photo backdrop and refreshments in the lobby and a final dismissal by Chief Hurd. No formal policy votes or council actions were taken at the ceremony.
Ending: The graduates begin active duty as firefighter‑paramedics across the department; city and department leaders said equipment purchases, peer‑support programs and new station construction will follow as part of routine staffing and budget planning.
