PORT ANGELES – Seven volunteers graduated fire academy last week and have joined the Clallam 2 Fire and Rescue team as fully qualified firefighters.

Because Clallam 2 Fire is a combination department with limited career firefighters on-duty each day, Chief Sam Phillips describes their team of volunteers as the backbone of their emergency response capabilities.

It’s a grueling 16-week training course held on Wednesday and Thursday nights, as well as all day Saturday. Phillips says these seven new graduates bring his total number of volunteers up to about 40, but says he’d like to have a team of 60.

For someone interested in being a career firefighter/EMT, there’s no better way to make that happen than by starting out as a volunteer.

If volunteering sounds interesting to you, call 457-2550 or go to www.clallamfire2.org/

Clallam 2 Photo. Left to right: Chief Sam Phillips, Sally Fulton-Firefighter/EMT, Julie Broussard-Firefighter/EMT, Dylen Heaward-Firefighter, Kari Desser-Firefighter/EMT, Jeremy Pederson-Firefighter, McKensie Griep- Firefighter, Elizabeth Hagaman-Firefighter/EMT,   Deputy Chief Jake Patterson.