Six new firefighters have joined Unalaska's volunteer force, bringing its once-depleted ranks to a total of 26 members.
On Tuesday, Fire Captain Mike Hanson congratulated the new volunteers on completing their Firefighter 1 certifications.
He also replaced their yellow helmets with black, signaling their transition from trainees to full firefighters qualified to enter burning buildings.
The group, which has also earned two certifications related to hazardous materials response, includes David Gibson, Josh Good, Jody Gross, Jocelyn Hernandez, Arianna Morales, and Thomas Roufos.
Hanson trained the recruits after becoming a certified instructor last year. He said it took each volunteer about 180 hours to graduate from the class.
"It's a big deal," he said. "It was four months. Lots of hours. Late at night. Weekends. Doing a lot of skills. A lot of arduous stuff. So they showed a lot of dedication to the community."
Vice Mayor Dennis Robinson thanked Hanson and the firefighters for their service.
He said it's encouraging to see the force grow, especially after recent years of low volunteerism sparked concerns that Unalaska was unprepared to fight fires.
"Last year, it was pretty scary," said Robinson.
"It was pretty slim last year," agreed Hanson.
"Very skinny," said Robinson. "But thank you. Thank you for doing a good job. And thank all the firefighters for their dedication."
Fire Chief Ramona Thompson said she doesn't remember exactly how small the force was at its lowest point, but she said 12 volunteers have joined since she took on the top job almost one year ago.
She also said most of the force is now qualified to enter burning buildings. In the past, she said many Unalaskans had volunteered but never completed training.
