Austin, TX – May, 9, 2008 – Twenty-nine ACC Fire Academy cadets will culminate 16 weeks of intense training by receiving their firefighter certifications during a graduation ceremony Saturday, May 10, at 7 p.m. in Taylor High School, 3101 N. Main Street, Taylor, Texas.

“ACC has been training firefighters to serve local communities for 18 years,” said Paul Menches, ACC Fire Protection Technology Program chair. “Each class is special, but the graduating class of 2008 is extraordinary. We have several military veterans who have returned from their tours of duty and are now ready to serve their communities in a new capacity.”

One of those veterans is Mark Randall, a former Army combat infantryman who served in Iraq and Afghanistan. “I was in Iraq when I decided to become a firefighter. I wanted to do something physical, and I wanted to continue serving people,” Randall said. “When I returned home, I found out that ACC had everything I needed.”

Randall left the Army in April 2007 and joined the Texas National Guard. He then enrolled in ACC for the fall to fulfill the program’s academic requirements and began the Fire Academy training in January.

“Mark has been one of the hardest working people to come through here in a long time,” said Captain Terry Hill, director of the ACC Fire Academy. “He’ll definitely be successful as a firefighter.”

ACC is the primary trainer of local emergency responders such as paramedics and firefighters. Each semester the Fire Academy puts up to 35 cadets through the 16-week, 608-hour training program where they learn how to respond to emergencies, extinguish fires, contain hazardous materials, and save lives. This thorough, top-notch training allows ACC cadets to test and pass the state standard in fire protection with an annual success rate ranging between 97 and 100 percent.

“We’re proud to say ACC’s program is sought after by fire departments all over the region,” says Menches. “Our students become certified firefighters in Austin, Round Rock, Oak Hill, West Lake, Cedar Park, and Georgetown, all over the region.”