Verdugo Fire Academy graduates take one step closer to their calling

During his 12 months of training at the Verdugo Fire Academy, Argisht Barsegyan said having instructors yelling at him and the grueling exercises didn’t faze him as much as he thought it would.

“Getting yelled at was the fun part, surprisingly,” he said. “If they stop yelling at us, they stop caring about us.”

Barsegyan was one of 31 cadets who took the stage in the auditorium at Glendale Community College this past Saturday in front of a packed room of friends and family to receive their certificates of completion as Class XVIII of the fire academy.

Academy Fire Chief Sam DiGiovanna said the program is made possible because of the Glendale Fire Department, which lets cadets use its equipment, training center and other resources during the training. Glendale Community College is also a sponsor of the program, with support from several fire agencies in the region, including the Burbank, Pasadena and Los Angeles County fire departments.

Cadets learn both hands-on and academic skills, DiGiovanna said, as well as leadership development.

Cadets had to commit to training every weekend and Thursday night for a year. Some of that training was showcased in a video that played during the ceremony, highlighting the cadets’ work with hoses, ladders and tools.

“It’s very challenging, but with challenge, comes growth,” DiGiovanna said during the ceremony.

Fifty-four people enrolled in the academy last year, which was whittled down to 31 by graduation.

Kenneth Wong thought he would wash out during training, as instructors began eliminating the “weaker links” after the first six months.

“[You spend] a whole 12 months getting chewed out [and] beat up,” Wong said. “You’re on the verge of quitting almost every time.”

However, on Saturday, Wong stood outside with his parents, family and girlfriend, holding both his certificate and a bouquet of flowers.

“I originally wanted to do nursing, but I had to follow my calling,” he said.

His parents, David and Kelly Wong, said they were initially a little nervous about their son’s career choice because of concerns about his safety, but their support far outweighed their concerns.

“I support him 100%,” David Wong said. “I said, ‘Go for it.’”

During the ceremony, fire officials took a moment to recognize Arcadia Fire Department Capt. Tom Devlin, who was able to attend the ceremony to see his son, Dylan, graduate, despite having been injured in a fire just two weeks earlier.

Tom Devlin was among the firefighters who responded to a blaze at a Monrovia warehouse in the early morning of Dec. 26.

Tom Devlin suffered second- and third-degree burns to his head, neck, face and hands during the fire. He was released from the Grossman Burn Center two days before his son completed the first step toward becoming the family’s second-generation firefighter.

“We are honored that you are here, Cap,” Chief DiGiovanna said to him as the audience stood up, applauding.

“I’ve never had a bad day at work until [Dec.] 26,” Tom Devlin said Saturday. “And that wasn’t really a bad day; it was just a tough day.”

Wearing gloves and with his head wrapped in bandages, Tom Devlin said his focus now is “healing and being healthy” and hopes to be back on the job before too long.

He said he would never ask anyone to become a firefighter, calling it an “inherently dangerous job,” but wants his son to follow his dreams.

“I want him to live life and do exactly what it is that he wants to do,” Devlin said. “He’s a good kid … He wants to help people.”

Dylan Devlin, 23, said after seeing what happened to his father, he did have a moment of doubt about entering the same line of work.

“He believed it was a miracle that he stayed alive,” Dylan Devlin said. “I went to the hospital, I saw him and I thought, ‘Here’s a man who spent two decades of his life working to do the best he possibly can for people he’s never met and for everyone he ever comes into contact with, and this is what happens to him.’”

Despite the glaring reminder about the job’s dangers, Dylan Devlin was struck by the “unending” show of support his father received from family, friends, fellow firefighters and even total strangers.

Dylan Devlin said seeing his father in the crowd at his graduation ceremony was “absolutely humbling,” and he came away from his year of training feeling that the help his father and other firefighters provide every day is not for nothing.

“That’s got to be a cause worthwhile,” he said.