Boston graduates its largest class ever of firefighter recruits

The largest class ever of Boston firefighters, including one woman, graduated on Friday at the Boston Exhibition and Convention Center.

The class of 90 recruits come from neighborhoods throughout Boston, and they will be stationed at firehouses around the city.

“You can always count on the Boston Fire Department to show up, no matter what the circumstances are – a fire, a medical (call) or just a public service call,” Marc Sanders, a Boston Fire Department spokesman. “If you need help, we will always be there, and they have been training and are ready to answer the call to serve the residents of the city of Boston.”

The class included recruits who speak a variety of languages in addition to English: four who speak Spanish, three who speak Cantonese, three who speak Haitian Creole, one who speaks Cape Verdean and one who speaks Vietnamese, Sanders said.

Those languages will help them get crucial information when they respond to calls in a diverse city.

Each of the newly sworn-in firefighters completed 16 weeks of training that included engine and ladder operations, auto extrication, hazmat training, and search and rescue.