Photo courtesy of Botetourt Co.
By Matt de Simone
The Botetourt County Fire & EMS Department celebrated the graduation of its 2025 Volunteer Fire Academy class last week, recognizing nine volunteers who completed months of intensive training and earned multiple state certifications.
Since August, the recruits dedicated weeknights and weekends to preparing for service, committing a total of 296 training hours before walking across the stage at the graduation ceremony. The department noted the significant time investment required of volunteers, many of whom balanced school, extracurricular activities, jobs, and family responsibilities throughout the academy.
Graduates of the 2025 class are Aidan Alderman, Owen Breeden, Jakobie Cox, Clayton Gilkeson, Devin Johnson, James Milstead, Olivia Nicely, Jacob Orange and Wesley Reay.
Upon completion of the academy, the graduates earned Virginia Department of Fire Programs Firefighter 1 and Firefighter 2 certifications, Hazardous Materials Operations certification, and Passenger Vehicle Operations/Technician certification. Those who completed Firefighter 1 are now eligible to respond to emergency calls in the capacity of a firefighter, with additional certifications expanding their knowledge beyond entry-level training.
Recruits participated in a variety of hands-on and live training scenarios as part of their 296-hour program. The curriculum included live burn evolutions for Firefighter 1 and 2 training, as well as Passenger Vehicle Operations/Technician sessions, where students learned vehicle extrication. Complementary skills were emphasized during lectures, including fire suppression, primary search techniques, and basic firefighter rescue and survival skills, ensuring each recruit was prepared for real-world emergencies.
Time commitment was cited as one of the most challenging components of this year’s program. Recruits trained on Tuesday and Thursday evenings, as well as select weekends. Department officials emphasized that successfully meeting these demands required not only personal dedication from the volunteers, but also strong support from their families, loved ones and home departments.
Several graduates received special recognition during the ceremony. Clayton Gilkeson was awarded Highest GPA and the Character Award, which recognizes a recruit who demonstrates empathy, compassion, attention to others and dedication to often-overlooked details. Aidan Alderman received the Outstanding Achievement Award, presented to the recruit who demonstrates the strongest overall physical, academic and leadership qualities while embodying the department’s core values of integrity, unity, innovation, accountability and dedication.
The graduates will serve at volunteer stations throughout the county. Alderman, Nicely, Milstead, Cox, Orange and Gilkeson are members of the Troutville Volunteer Fire Department. Reay is assigned to the Buchanan Volunteer Fire Department, while Johnson and Breeden serve with the Fincastle Volunteer Fire Department.
According to Fire & EMS Chief Jason Ferguson, the addition of the new graduates will strengthen emergency response coverage across the county.
“The addition of the nine new firefighters will only help continue to bolster the number of volunteers available to respond to emergency incidents around the clock,” Ferguson said. “We are always trying to help support and bolster the number of trained and operationally ready volunteers to respond to emergencies. Given that six of these new graduates are volunteering at Troutville, two at Fincastle, and one in Buchanan, these stations now have additional personnel resources to spread the workload of providing these vital services 24/7.”
Looking ahead to the next academy, the department hopes to fill all 24 available seats for Firefighter 1, Hazmat Operations, and Firefighter 2 training. Recruitment efforts are already underway through a social media campaign to attract new volunteers.
The department anticipates holding its next Volunteer Fire Academy in late summer or early fall of 2026. Individuals interested in joining must be at least 16 years of age with parental consent. Applicants are required to complete background checks, a drug test and an entry-level NFPA physical at no cost.
With their certifications complete, the Class of 2025 now transitions from training to service, adding nine newly qualified firefighters to support emergency response efforts across Botetourt County.
