With the formal oath of office, New Haven welcomed its newest leader, Fire Chief Allyn Wright.

Wright has been on the job for a few months now, and one of his main goals is to increase manpower at the department.

He got started on Wednesday with 45 recruits who attended the first day of the fire academy.

“We have a lot of vacancies, and what we basically want to do is minimize the overtime. Chief Egan along with myself, have been working very diligently to get this done,” said Wright.

The fire department currently has about 120 slots to fill. The new class of recruits will cover about a third of those vacancies, and Wright says another class will start in the fall.

“We're just going to make a small dent right now,” said Wright.

As for the recruits, they have about 15 weeks of training ahead of them, and they're excited about it.

“The good parts, and even the stressful parts, that's how you learn, and that's how you become better, and just interact with other people, help each other, and just learn,” said recruit Yaniris Cardona.

They all come from different backgrounds and professions, but all 45 have a desire to be a big part of the New Haven Fire Department.

“My uncle was a fireman for the New Haven Fire Department, retired about three to four years ago, so it's definitely an honor to here. It's been a long process, so I'm just really just happy to be here,” said Harry Bosley, another recruit.

“I love the city of New Haven," said recruit Daniel Del Prete. "I have four young children. I'm expecting my fifth, and would love nothing more than to work and help in the city that I love, and that I'm raising my family in.”