Chicago Heights, IL-(ENEWSF)- Prairie State College (PSC) recently held graduation ceremonies for the Basic Firefighter and Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) programs.
Graduates of the Basic Firefighter program were Christopher Blandon of Ford Heights Fire Department; Michael Carey and Nicholas Drake of Chicago Heights Fire Department; Steven Dees of Park Forest Fire Department; Michael Golden of Phoenix Fire Department; Justin Hamilton, Amy Most, and Daniel Wychocki of Crete Fire Department; Patrick Harvey, Ryan Holman, Michael Morgan, and Jason Postma of Crete Township Fire Protection District; Kurt Homberg of Kankakee Township Fire Protection District; Melissa Kelley of South Chicago Heights Fire Department; and Phil Werner of Glenwood Fire Department.
The master of ceremonies for the Basic Firefighter ceremony was Rich Atwood, program coordinator. The keynote speaker was Kevin Welsh, chief of the Glenwood Fire Department, and the student speaker was Jason Postma, of Crete Township Fire Protection District.
Graduates of the EMT program were Timothy Ackerman, Elmer H. Bausch, Patrick J. Callahan, Vincent Carter, Jr., Michael Galen, Michael R. Stowers, and Dylan Vance, of Homewood; Lauren Anderson, of Matteson; Nicholas J. Capolillo, Michael R. Crandall, III, and Brian Rimkus, of Park Forest; Dylan Cunningham, of Thornton; Melissa Garcia, of South Chicago Heights; Kyle D. Haemker and Richard J. Viktora, of Crete; Rachel Nicole Hearon, of Sauk Village; Keith Holem, of Crown Point, Ind.; Benjamin F. Hughes and Aaron E. Morris, of Richton Park; Miecsha Renee Johnson, of Lynwood; Kevin O’Donnell, of Flossmoor; Anthony Smith, of Matteson; Stefanie Ward, of Monee; and Jason Zornow, of Beecher.
Two graduates, Galen and Stowers, were named valedictorian of the graduating class for completing the EMT program with the top scores.
Mistress of ceremonies for the EMT graduation was Vanessa Scheidt, of Franciscan St. James Health, and the keynote speaker for the ceremony was Bruce Ziegle, deputy chief of the Park Forest Fire Department.
The Basic Firefighter program prepares students to become municipal firefighters and take the state fire marshal exam. The program follows the standards of the National Fire Protection Association and the Office of the State Fire Marshall.
The EMT program prepares students to take the state certification exam to obtain a license to work on an ambulance crew or in an emergency room.
For more information about the Basic Firefighter or EMT program, contact Marie Hansel, dean, health and industrial technology, director of nursing, (708) 709-3648 or [email protected].
