Tulsa Fire Department Academy Class 111 Wrapping Up First Month Of Training

The Tulsa Fire Department's newest academy class just wrapped up its first month of training.

The cadets will graduate in October to help grow the department's staffing, which has about 700 firefighters.

Tulsa's fire chief told News On 6 it is important for the department to reflect the community.

Class 111 has two women, several cadets who are bilingual and some with military experience.

30 cadets, ages 18 to 44, make up this year's class.

News On 6 met two cadets, Beca Hopping and Jamario McClellan. Both said they feel called to be the first firefighters in their family.

"We're doing this so we can be better for the public and for our citizens of Tulsa," said Hopping.

McClellan said he wants to show his 3-year-old son he, too, can do anything.

"Every day when I get home, he's like, 'Hey Daddy, are you a firefighter?' I'm like, 'Not there yet, but we're getting there, buddy," said McClellan.

Hopping said the group bonds through challenging experiences.

"It's been good. It's physically demanding. It's mentally demanding, but we're excited to be here,” said Hopping. "We also had to learn how to roll the hose, fit into the truck and then how to deploy it."

Fire Chief Michael Baker said this is a special group with diverse backgrounds and experiences, which will help them adapt to changes with training and technology.

"This class is going to have amazing opportunities because I've seen it grow already, and so I can anticipate they're going to have a lot of change in their future," said Baker.

The cadets said all the hard work will be worth it and they hope to inspire the future of the department.

"I want to spread education, spread the word out that anybody can do it. Just put your heart into it. If this is really what you want to do, then go for it,” said McClellan.

The next Tulsa Fire academy will kick off in early 2025. Testing for that class will start soon.

The department is always looking for candidates. For more information, click here.