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Phillips:
The Birds and The Beese
CFD Unveils New Badge at Recruit Badge Pinning Ceremony
By
Allison Jean Eaton
Bulletin Staff Writer
COMPTON – The
nine newest members of the Compton Fire Department were last week the
first members of the department to wear its new badge, which was debuted
last Friday at their graduation and badge pining ceremony.
Interim Chief Jon Thompson came up with the idea to create a new badge
for the department about three months ago. He said he wanted to give
the department something of a fresh start.
“This department has seen some major changes over the last five
years. Sixty percent of our department has seen a turnaround,” said
Thompson. So, in keeping with the spirit of change and to incorporate
the department’s new seal, he decided to redesign the department’s
roughly 40-year-old badge, something no one knew about until their
unveiling at the ceremony.
The nine new firefighters are: Joe Crooks, Reginald Donald, Kevin Green,
Darren Jurado, Pedro Medina, Gabriel Morgan, Derwin Pitts, Robert Rojas
and Marcus Wilson.
Each was gifted a gear bag courtesy of Thompson, acting Deputy Chief
Marcel Melanson and several other instructors who pitched in to purchase
them.
Class leader Crooks was awarded with the first-ever Iron Axe Award
for physical fitness and Donald received an award for direction of
cadence.
Thirty-eight-year-old Derwin Pitts, one of last week’s graduates,
said becoming a firefighter is “something that’s been in
me all my life.”
The Leimert Park resident attended and graduated from the James Shern
Fire Academy five years ago and had previously applied to the department
before being hired his second time around.
“Compton is near and dear to my heart,” said the Watts
native. “My
wife is from Compton and my mother-in-law still lives in the city of
Compton.”
The recruits took a written test in August and after passing that,
completed three months of intensive physical and tactical training
under the command of Capt. Robert Mendez, who served as the recruit
class’ drill captain.
Mendez and more than a dozen other department members pitched in to
provide instruction to the new recruits, many of them coming in on
their days off to teach the new firefighters.
After the graduating class received their badges, members of the department
who received promotions to battalion chief, captain and engineer positions
were also pinned with the new badges. The rest of the department will
receive their new badges, shortly, officials said.
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