Mayor Whitmire to celebrate Houston Fire Department’s largest graduating class in history

HOUSTON – The Houston Fire Department is celebrating an incredible milestone as more than 100 cadets will become official firefighters.

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According to HFD, 102 cadets joined their rank and file, making it the largest graduating class in the department’s history.

The department credited this move to Mayor John Whitmire, whom HFD praised for his commitment to transforming recruitment efforts.

“This incredible milestone is a direct result of having a mayor who truly understands and supports our firefighters,” HFD said in a social media post. “When city leadership believes in public safety and backs it up with action, amazing things happen.”

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Whitmire, who has not been shy about his support for law enforcement and the fire department, shared his own praise to HFD’s graduating class and announced he would present at the ceremony.

“This milestone is a great achievement, and I am very pleased on behalf of 2.3 million Houstonians that morale and interest in becoming a firefighter in Houston are at an all-time high,” he said. “The graduating cadet class is a result of support from my administration, new leadership in the department, and the successful negotiation of a contract with the union.”

HFD is expecting another record-breaking number of cadets for their next graduating class.

Chief Thomas Munoz tells KPRC 2’s Mario Diaz that they’re already on a waiting list for additional recruits.