Three recruits completed a 14-week training academy and were presented as probationary firefighters at a ceremony held at Kalispell City Hall. Chief Jay Hagen led the event, praising the recruits’ effort and telling them, "You guys have done something amazing and something noteworthy."

The recruits will serve the balance of a year as probationary firefighters before being considered journeymen, Chief Jay Hagen said: "They have the balance of a year. At that point, they'll be considered journeymen or fully fledged firefighters." During that probationary period they will respond to emergency alarms, continue training and take part in community safety work, Hagen said.

Captain Hansen, who oversaw the recruit academy, described a curriculum of roughly 14 weeks and about 540 hours of classroom and hands-on instruction. Topics included the National Incident Management System (NIMS), department policies and standard operating procedures, personal protective equipment and self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA), hose and ladder operations, fire dynamics and live-burn exercises, rapid intervention and firefighter rescue, vehicle extrication, and driver training under an EVOC (Emergency Vehicle Operators Course) program. Medical training covered IV initiation, airway management, CPR, cardiac arrest response, patient assessment for medical and trauma cases, splinting and transport procedures, and electronic patient care reporting (ePCR).

Captain Hansen said instructors emphasized professional habits and teamwork: "What we've tried to instill in them is mindset, attitude, accountability, discipline, chain of command, camaraderie, consistency, respect, and open commitment, and high standards and always striving for excellence in all that we do." He and Captain Grady led practical skills work including a recent live burn and scenarios to teach search, flow path recognition and fire attack.

Chief Jay Hagen and Assistant Chief Ken White acknowledged the instructors and union leadership during the ceremony. Hagen noted the personal sacrifices required by recruit school — missed holidays, family events and long hours — and urged the new probationary firefighters to keep setting goals and to continue learning: "Whether that is engineer, paramedic, or maybe one of you wants to succeed me one day," he said.

The department presented hardware and photos were taken with family members and instructors; one recruit asked his mother to help pin his badge. The graduates were announced by first name during the ceremony as probationary firefighters Ryan, Mike Cabrillo, David and Eric (last names not specified for three recruits).