First in-house Vicksburg Fire Department Graduates honored at ceremony

VICKSBURG, Miss. – The Vicksburg Fire Department held it’s first in-house graduation for VFD Class 01 this morning at the Vicksburg Convention Center.

The graduating class of seven completed a two month long course compliant with all NFPA and Mississippi regulations to become the next generation of Vicksburg Fire Fighters.

VFD Class 1001

• Peyton McDaniel
• Lemichael Paul Anderson
• Michael Curtis Bennet
• Jami Kristin Blackledge
• Peyton Quitman McDaniel
• Hayden Bryce McDougal
• Kaleb Desean Offord
• Tremaun Deonte Williams

During the ceremony both a Valedictorian and Salutatorian of the graduating class were honored. Peyton McDaniel was honored as Valedictorian, and Lemichael Anderson was honored as Salutatorian.

“I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Chief of Training Courtney Reed and the dedicated members of the Vicksburg Fire Department who played a vital role in training the candidates. Their commitment and expertise were instrumental in creating an enriching in-house training experience. This program not only equips the candidates with essential skills but also strengthens the department as a whole, fostering a culture of continuous improvement and excellence,” said Fire Chief Derrick Stamps.

According to Chief of Training Courtney Reed, the Vicksburg Fire Department was in desperate need of new recruits due to retirements leaving nearly a third of the department untrained.

“We started to outrun the need of the fire department. We have a great Mississippi state fire academy that certifies all our guys, but we got to a point where a lot of people were able to retire. We were hit with a massive retirement, we had a lot of untrained people,” said Chief Reed, “Our chief (Fire Chief Derrick Stamps) said we needed to do something about it, and he came up with the idea ‘Hey lets do it in-house,’ and we went from there.”

Guest speaker for the ceremony was Retired Fire Chief Charles M. Atkins Jr. Atkins spoke of the upcoming challenges for the newly minted firefighters, but encouraged them to not quit.

“You don’t know what’s ahead of you, but you’re off to a good start,” said Atkins, “I congratulate you. May God bless you and your family.”