Seminole State fire academy graduates 27 amid firefighter shortage

Twenty-seven new firefighters crossed the finish line at Seminole State College on Thursday, June 18, but their diplomas landed in a labor market Florida fire chiefs have been calling tight for years. The class gives Central Florida agencies fresh recruits just as summer weather and emergency calls begin to strain already thin crews.

The graduates, class 25-03, were Cameron Allen, Caitlynn Brooks, Gabriel Burke, Courtney Campbell, Elijah Cannon, Gage Carlson, Nicholas Coggon, Anthony Delgado, Tyler DiFiore, Byron Dixon, Leyla Finley, Trevis Henry, Rachel Jacobs, Gatlin Kelley, Brady Latocha, Andrew Massa, Michael Minns, Tajae Morgan, Tristan Register, Christian Sanabria, Ryan Scalise Graff, Ethan Scheffer, Luis Sirit, Nathaniel Skoretz, Tobey Teeter, Andrew Trask and Rayon White. Seminole State says its fire academy is a six-month program with 492 clock hours, ranks in the top five nationwide and sends more than 90 percent of its fire science students into the state exam on their first attempt.

The staffing crunch behind that pipeline is real. A 2026 firefighter staffing presentation based on Florida Fire Chiefs Association and Florida Division of State Fire Marshal survey data put the statewide baseline at 1,469 firefighter full-time equivalent vacancies as of Feb. 1, 2023, then estimated roughly 2,500 vacancies in Florida by December 2025, with a planning range of 2,000 to 3,000. In practical terms, a class of 27 will not solve the shortage, but it can help reduce overtime pressure and improve response capacity for the departments that hire these graduates.

Seminole State says Central Florida population growth and firefighter retirements should keep job opportunities plentiful over the next five years. The Bureau of Fire Standards and Training, which approves firefighter curricula and certifies fire service training agencies, instructors and members, is part of the state system that turns that training into credentials. It also runs the Florida State Fire College in Ocala and the Florida First Responder Scholarship Program, another sign that Tallahassee sees recruitment as a continuing problem, not a temporary dip.

Orange County Fire Rescue has responded by widening its hiring funnel. The department says it has more than 1,600 members, answers more than 145,000 annual calls and covers a 1,003-square-mile area serving more than 931,000 residents and 75 million annual visitors. Its non-certified firefighter program hires local residents, trains them full time and pairs them with pay and benefits, while recruits average ten 24-hour shifts a month and can move through a 10-week paid orientation.

Orange County also approved a new collective bargaining agreement on May 19 covering nearly 1,500 unionized public safety professionals, raising firefighter starting pay from $47,258 to $59,072 and to $62,025 after orientation. For firefighter/paramedics, starting pay rises from $57,011 to $70,959 and to $73,909 after orientation. With dive, rescue climbing, drone, urban search and rescue and behavioral health teams all in the mix, the message from local agencies is clear: the work is only getting more specialized, and every graduate matters.