Seminole County, Fla. (June 12, 2026) – Recently the Seminole County Fire Department (SCFD) celebrated the addition of 12 new recruits as part of Class 2026-01. The ceremony was held at Millennium Middle School in Sanford. At least half of the new graduates grew up in or currently live in Seminole County and are now fully prepared to serve their community as probationary firefighters with the Department.

Many of the recruits completed their Fire Standards training through Seminole State College before joining SCFD. Following their certification, each recruit successfully completed the Department’s eight-week orientation and training program, designed to prepare new firefighters for the demands of emergency response and public safety service. The graduates have now been assigned to stations throughout Seminole County’s network of 21 fire stations and will serve as probationary firefighters.

During the ceremony, Fire Chief Matt Kinley delivered the keynote address, offering words of encouragement and advice to the graduates as they embark on their firefighting careers.

“The friendships and brotherhood built here become part of what carries you through those difficult calls, long nights, and demanding years,” said Fire Chief Kinley. “There is a bond formed by spending 24, 48, or sometimes more hours together in a fire station—responding to emergencies, training, eating, laughing, and carrying one another through hard moments. That trust is what allows us to run into burning buildings, deliver lifesaving medical care, and know someone has our back.”

The addition of Recruit Class 2026-01 strengthens SCFD’s commitment to providing exceptional

fire rescue, emergency medical, and public safety services to the residents and visitors of Seminole County.

Here are the names of Seminole County Fire Department’s new Probationary Firefighters:

·       Elijah Cannon

·       Leyla Finley

·       Cameron Allen

·       Nicholas Medina

·       Andrew Trask

·       Jason Tarleton

·       Justin ODonnell

·       Damian Benitez

·       Ryan Scalise

·       Andrew Massa

·       Evan Moore

·       Nicholas Coggon