JERSEY CITY -A total of 18 recruits joined the ranks of Jersey City's bravest today as they were sworn into the Jersey City Fire Department before an enormous crowd of friends and family inside the Council Chambers in Jersey City City Hall.

For many of the new firefighters, their induction carried on a family tradition that spanned generations.

"I am now the third generation of men in my family to serve as a Jersey City firefighter," said Patrick Donaghue whose father and grandfather both served in the JCFD. "It is a great honor and I will do them proud."

Patrick's grandfather joined the fire department in 1959 and his father followed suit in 1982.

"It's an honorable profession and I know he will serve the community well and the community well appreciate him," said Donaghue's grandfather, Charles.

Donaghue will wear the same badge number as his grandfather.

New inductee Scott Taylor will also don the badge number of his great grandfather, who joined the JCFD on Feb. 15, 1927, nearly 88 years ago to the day.

"Words cannot describe how proud we are of him," said Taylor's mother Peggy. "He will wear 907 (great grandfather's badge number) and do the family proud."

"Public service runs in my family," said new inductee Christopher Russell, alluding to his grandfather's service as a fireman and his fathers service as a police officer. "It feels great to follow in their footsteps. I can't wait to serve my community."

The lone woman in the new class of firefighters was Michelle DeBlois, who is joining the JCFD for very different reasons.

"9/11 was a big catapult for me to become a firefighter," explained DeBlois, who will be one of seven women currently serving in the department. "I watched the whole thing from across the river and it stayed with me. At that point in my life, I was wondering how I wanted to go about helping people and seeing all the my brothers and sisters who were lost that day made me realize I needed to be a firefighter."

There was not a seat to be had in the council chambers during the ceremony, and barely any room to stand. Family and friends swelled with pride when they heard their loved ones' names called. As their first job as firefighters, the new inductees had to do all they could not to get mobbed by adoring family members at the ceremony's conclusion.

They were not particularly successful.

"This is a great day for the Jersey City Fire Department," said Fire Chief Darren Rivers. "It's tough getting here. It's a very competitive position and for (the new firefighters) to be able to make it to this point is an incredible accomplishment. Nearly 8,000 people took the firefighters test on this list and maybe 100 were hired so it's the cream of the crop, were getting the best of the best."

With this latest recruiting class, the JCFD now has 584 firefighters and superior officers. Rivers hopes there may even be another recruiting class this year.

Funding for the new firefighters, who completed an eight-week training at the Morris County Fire Academy, is through a $6.9 million federal Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant.

Since taking office, Mayor Steve Fulop has hired 65 firefighters.

Additionally, 12 firefighters were promoted to rank of captain during the ceremony.

The names of the new firemen and woman are as follows:

Joseph Scalone (top of the class), Dubanes Bello, Tyler Lang, Anthony Montagne, Rafael Orellana, Tyson Hardnett, Robert Delacruz, Santos Estremera, Theron Jenkins, Gary Cassaro, Michelle DeBlois, Victor Negron III, Nicholas Del Fino, Javier Rivera, Patrick Donaghue, Christopher Russell, Scott Taylor, Armando Roman Jr.

The new captains are John Strich, Angelo Maino, Jason Kane, Scott Terpak, Alexander Degnan, Scott McDermott, Martin Corcoran, Robert Morelli, Jason Reo, Gary Byrne, Nicholas Degnan, Bryan Schoch.

"I'm looking forward to finding out what my first call is going to be," said inductee Theron Jenkins. "I wonder if like the moment I walk in the bell will go off or if I will be there for a couple of hours and then there's like a 5 alarm fire! I can't wait to see what that first call is going to be."

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