School of Public Safety Celebrates Fire Academy #51 Graduation

The Moreno Valley College (MVC) Ben Clark Training Center (BCTC) School of Public Safety celebrated the graduation of 34 cadets from Fire Academy Class #51 during a ceremony at the March Field Air Museum on Dec. 13.

The cadets completed 642 hours of rigorous fire training and earned several State Fire Training (SFT) certifications, including ICS 200 Incident Command System, Fire Control 3 Structural Firefighting, Rope Rescue Awareness Operations, Wildland Firefighting Essentials, and many others. These credentials equip MVC fire cadets for immediate employment with local, state, and national fire departments.

Class President Cayla Roberts delivered remarks on behalf of the graduates, while San Diego County Fire Authority and CAL FIRE Unit Chief Tony Mecham gave the keynote address. MVC Fire Captain John Begg presented the top-of-the-class awards, and Battalion Chief (Ret.) Alex Gregg honored recipients of the Phil Kelleher Scholarship and Pablo Cerda Award. Fire Captain (Ret.) Michael Arizaga presented the Chris Canton Scholarship Award.

This marked the first graduation held at the March Field Air Museum, a venue with a strong public service legacy. Moving forward, it will serve as the official location for all Fire and Emergency Medical Services graduations, celebrating those who dedicate their careers to public safety.