17 recruits rose in the ranks today at the Lafayette Fire Department graduation.

The new hires come at a crucial time during a firefighter shortage.

During the ceremony, integrity, honesty, and truth were three principals Lafayette Fire Chief Robert Benoit instilled in the graduates to ensure 20-30 years down the line what they felt at graduation, will have carried them through their careers.

Chief Benoit said, “Because out there in the real world the fire is not going to wait for you. You’re going to have to go out there and be aggressive enough to attack it, to extinguish it, to be able to protect the property of your loved ones, to be able to protect exposure, to be able to rescue people.”

At a time where the city faces a firefighter shortage, these 17 new recruits will reduce the level of stress on current staff.

“We’re always going to have shortages or vacancies because people transition in and out. But, the thing that we are trying to do is we are trying to close that gap to where we can have more consistent positions filled than have vacancies” the chief said.

Filling one of those vacancies is fireman Aaron Sassau.

Sassau joins his sister, Kim Sassau, in a life of public service after she joined the Lafayette Sheriff’s Department a year ago. 

The Sassau siblings have been motivated by the words of their father, “Somebody’s gotta do it.”

Kim Sassau is a dispatcher with the Lafayette Sheriff’s Department; she says, “If it’s going to be anybody, why not me or him. At the end of the day we grew up seeing our community and it’s an honor for us to go back and be able to serve it.”

Aaron followed with, “It’s always kind of been a dream of mine to serve my community. We didn’t always grow up in the best neighborhood but I’m going to have a chance to change the neighborhoods and whatever it takes I’m going to get the job done.”

That’s now the mindset of all 17 graduates as they now move to the frontline to protect our community.