West Grove Fire Company volunteer Zach Felker officially graduated from the fire academy of the City of Chester on Saturday afternoon. Zach has been hired as a career firefighter by Chester, and is already working for the City in that capacity.

The fire academy graduation was special as the program was run by the City of Wilmington Fire Department, combining recruits from both Chester and Wilmington who trained for weeks together. The cooperation between the cities was evident in remarks from both department Chiefs and Mayors.

The ceremony included having each student come to stage and formally received their badge, and with recruits taking a firefighter's oath. This was the 42nd fire academy run by the City of Wilmington, with a large crowd of family, friends, firefighters and officials gathering at the Salesianum High School on Broom Street in Wilmington.

In support of Zach, a contingent of West Grove firefighters were present for the ceremony. Zach will continue to volunteer with the WGFC while working for Chester. His official swearing in at the City of Chester was held on January 25 -- see: https://www.wgfc.org/news/1261/One-of-Our-Own

Zach is the son of WGFC Fire Chief Eric Felker - continuing the tradition of firefighting in the Felker family. Congratulations Zach.