By Andrew Freeborn, KCFD Public Information Officer

Freeborn said he was writing us from the Wolf fire that burned about 700 acres on Wind Wolves Preserve, north of the Mountain Community

The Kern County Fire Department is excited to announce that the 2021 KCFD Recruit Academy officially began on January 18, 2021.

The academy is operating at the Olive Drive Fire Training Facility in Bakersfield, and this is the first KCFD Recruit Academy since the COVID-19 pandemic began.

Over the next eight weeks, the 35 recruits will be instructed by a cadre of Kern County firefighters in a variety of disciplines.

Each day will require intense physical and mental exertion followed by…(please see below to view full stories and photographs)

Photo captions:

Firefighter recruits hit the books at the academy in Bakersfield.

Above: Recruits in the Kern County Fire Department academy must maintain high academic levels in order to graduate as firefighters. They receive instruction from skilled firefighters in numerous disciplines.

Making the cut requires rigorous physical training before reaching the end zone.

This is the first KCFD Academy class since covid-19, so recruits are very careful to stay safe and healthy.

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This is part of the January 22, 2021 online edition of The Mountain Enterprise.

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