On Friday, July 8, Macon-Bibb County Fire Chief Shane Edwards welcomed five new firefighters to the Fire Department with a ceremony. These five new firefighters went through a new fast track training put in place at the directive of Mayor Lester Miller and designed by Chief Edwards. 

“This new process allows firefighters from other agencies that already have training and experience to more quickly get into a station and begin protecting our community,” said Chief Edwards. “It also allows us to bring experienced firefighters and officers into our ranks, strengthening the crews at our fire stations.” 

“We knew we had immediate vacancies in our Fire Department and that we could attract experienced firefighters to our ranks if we didn’t require them to start their training over as if they were brand new,” said Mayor Miller. 

Firefighters going through this fast-track process are already State and NPQ certified firefighters. During their orientation in Macon-Bibb County, they are taught the department’s policies and procedures, exposed to its customer-service orientation, and tested on their skills.  

“In addition to making us more marketable to trained and experienced firefighters, this also saves our department money because they do not require the full three-month training curriculum,” adds Chief Edwards. 

This is the second time fast-tracked firefighters have joined the Department’s ranks. Two were sworn in as part of a larger class of new recruits in September 2021.