Craig Fire/Rescue announced its 2020 rookie class on Monday, introducing eight firefighter prospects.

The class of eight is a marked improvement over the class of one last year, according to Craig Fire/Rescue Fire Chief KC Hume.

Cade Bangs, Keegan Bangs, Tim Wilson, Tane Otis, Josh Beaulieu, Brent Sorenson, Makaylah Hampton, and Kolton Miller were introduced Monday morning as the 2020 rookie class, which capped off a 3-month recruiting, interview, and testing process.

“The entire community is excited about the potential the rookie academy class has for the continuing service in our district,” Hume said.

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Craig Fire/Rescue held orientation on Saturday, Jan. 4, and ended up with new members, which was a small decrease from the 10 the 2020 class started with.

“It’s a large rookie class,” Hume said. “2019 was the first year in at least 25 years that we did not have a rookie academy, because we had just one rookie.”

While the eight new members were announced Monday morning, the process of becoming a Craig Rural Fire Protection District firefighter is just beginning.

Each year, Craig Fire/Rescue hosts an annual fire academy beginning in January to train and develop state certified firefighters. According to Hume, rookies that enter the academy must complete the exact same certification and training that any career firefighter would have to complete in Colorado, or anywhere in the nation.

That includes Firefighter I and a Hazardous Materials class within the first calendar year. On top of that, rookies must meet regular fire department expectations.

Classes at the academy are Fridays and Saturdays twice a month, with Friday classes running 6-10 p.m. in the classroom, and Saturdays running 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the field.

jcarney@craigdailypress.com