County Down Wholetime Firefighters Graduate from NIFRS
Twenty-six new Wholetime (full-time) Firefighters are set to begin serving our community after successfully completing an intensive 20-week training programme at Northern Ireland Fire & Rescue Service (NIFRS) Learning & Development College (LDC).
Today’s ceremony brought together proud family members, friends and the training team at our state-of-the-art training college to recognise the achievements of the graduates.
Wholetime Firefighters Robert Chesney from Newtownards, Rebecca Randles from Bangor and James Kelly from Portavogie were among the cohort who proudly graduated today.
For Firefighter Rebecca Randles, the occasion was particularly special, with her husband Curtis Randles also serving as a Wholetime Firefighter after graduating from NIFRS in 2025.
During the ceremony, the newly graduated Firefighters received confirmation of which Fire Stations they will be posted to, showcased their skills through live fire and rescue demonstrations, and celebrated those who received awards for outstanding performance throughout the course:
- Top Trainee: Firefighter Gabriel Quigley
- Top Trainee Runner-up: Firefighter Philip Todd
- Road Traffic Collision Award: Firefighter David Olliver
- Breathing Apparatus Award: Firefighter Finn Mercer
The cohort of trainees completed comprehensive training, developing the skills, knowledge and resilience needed to respond to a wide range of emergencies including fires, road traffic collisions and water rescues.
The 26 new Firefighters will now take up roles in Fire Stations across Northern Ireland, where they will continue their development and begin serving and protecting our community.
NIFRS Chief Fire & Rescue Officer, Aidan Jennings said: “Today is a proud and memorable day for each of our graduates and for their family and friends who have supported them throughout their journey.
“After months of hard work and determination they now begin their careers as Wholetime Firefighters and I am delighted to welcome such a talented cohort to our Service.
“The training programme is physically and mentally demanding, requiring commitment, resilience and teamwork. Each graduating Firefighter has demonstrated the professionalism and courage needed to succeed in one of the most rewarding careers in public service.
“Today’s graduation would not have been possible without the exceptional training team at our college, whose expertise, encouragement and support have guided our newest Firefighters and prepared them for the operational incidents they will encounter in their new roles.
“These graduates represent the future of NIFRS. I am incredibly proud of everything they have accomplished and I have every confidence they will make a positive difference and serve our community with pride.”
Jay Colville, Chairperson of NIFRS Board, added: “On behalf of the NIFRS board, I would like to congratulate each of today’s graduates on reaching this significant milestone. Their commitment and hard work throughout the training have been exceptional, and we are proud to welcome them into our Service.
“We are committed to recruiting, developing and investing in the people who serve our community. While today marks the completion of their initial training, their learning will continue throughout their careers, both on Station and through ongoing training at our college.
“Today marks the beginning of an important and rewarding career for each of our 26 new Firefighters, and I wish them all long and successful careers with NIFRS.”
Of the 26 Firefighters graduating today, 22 are male and 4 are female.
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