COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.– The Colorado Springs Fire Department welcomed 26 brand new firefighters to its department this weekend on Saturday, Sept. 11, the twentieth anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center.

The graduates celebrated their success together at the celebration and remembered what drew them to the fire fighting field in the first place.

Keana Dallas, one of the graduates who has been assigned to the Stratmoor Hills Fire District, said, “I find a lot of pride and it’s just one of my greatest joys. It’s very physical and mental. It requires a lot of determination but with my friends and my squad in the fire academy, we all got through it. We pushed each other, but it took all of us to get here today.”

To learn more about the Colorado Springs Fire Department, click here.