The officers & members of the Holiday Park VFD offer our sincere congratulations and best wishes to Firefighter/EMT Sam Gates, Jr; on his swearing-in ceremony today into the Pittsburgh Bureau of Fire (PBF). Sam has been a member of our department for a little less than a year; but has made positive impact on our department. We look forward to Sam bringing the skills/experiences from his “career job” at PBF back to Holiday Park VFD.
Sam was part of PBF Recruit Class 131-21 and the ceremony was held at The Teamster Temple in Lawrenceville. He joined 27 recruits who made up the latest class joining the ranks of the Pittsburgh Bureau of Fire. Of those, family connections to PBF are strong: one is a third generation firefighter and eight are second generation. There are two military veterans among them.
The Fire Academy is an intensive 32 week program to prepare them for the hazards and challenges of the job. Prior to the academy Sam held several certifications in Firefighting, Vehicle Rescue, and EMS.
