26 cadets graduate from Verdugo Fire Academy

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Verdugo Fire Academy director Sam DiGiovanna, center, gives cadet and class guide Kenneth Cabanas his certificate of completion during the Class 19 Basic Fire Academy Graduation at Glendale College in Glendale on Saturday, Jan. 7, 2017. Twenty-six cadets were present for the ceremony along with family and friends. (Raul Roa / Staff Photographer)

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Verdugo Fire Academy director Sam DiGiovanna speaks during the Class 19 Basic Fire Academy Graduation at Glendale College in Glendale on Saturday, Jan. 7, 2017. Twenty-six cadets were present for the ceremony along with family and friends. (Raul Roa / Staff Photographer)

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Verdugo Fire Academy director Sam DiGiovanna, left, gives cadet Patrick Harris the certificate of completion during the Class 19 Basic Fire Academy Graduation at Glendale College in Glendale on Saturday, Jan. 7, 2017. Twenty-six cadets were present for the ceremony along with family and friends. (Raul Roa / Staff Photographer)

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Verdugo Fire Academy instructor Rick Burroughs gives one of two awards (athletic and academic awards) to cadet Michael Tibi during the Class 19 Basic Fire Academy Graduation at Glendale College in Glendale on Saturday, Jan. 7, 2017. Twenty-six cadets were present for the ceremony along with family and friends. (Raul Roa / Staff Photographer)

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Verdugo Fire Academy Class 19 at the Basic Fire Academy Graduation at Glendale College in Glendale on Saturday, Jan. 7, 2017. Twenty-six cadets were present for the ceremony along with family and friends. (Raul Roa / Staff Photographer)

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Family and friends were present for the Verdugo Fire Academy Class 19 Basic Fire Academy Graduation at Glendale College in Glendale on Saturday, Jan. 7, 2017. Twenty-six cadets were present for the ceremony along with family and friends. (Raul Roa / Staff Photographer)

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Verdugo Fire Academy cadet and Bravo Platoon Leader Stevontae Topsy speaks during the Class 19 Basic Fire Academy Graduation at Glendale College in Glendale on Saturday, Jan. 7, 2017. Twenty-six cadets were present for the ceremony along with family and friends. (Raul Roa / Staff Photographer)

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Verdugo Fire Academy Class 19 graduates congratulate each other after the Basic Fire Academy Graduation ceremony at Glendale College in Glendale on Saturday, Jan. 7, 2017. Twenty-six cadets were present for the ceremony along with family and friends. (Raul Roa / Staff Photographer)

By Andy Nguyen

Jan. 11, 2017 1:47 PM PT

Twenty-six people are one step closer to becoming firefighters after they graduated from the Verdugo Fire Academy this past Saturday.

Over the past year, cadets have spent 900 hours preparing themselves physically and academically. Sponsored by the Glendale Fire Department and Glendale Community College, the academy covered every skill a firefighter would need from climbing ladders to extracting people trapped in vehicles — in addition to extinguishing fires.

Sam DiGiovanna, fire chief of the academy, said anyone who’s enrolled with the college can participate in the program, but there are some caveats. Prospective cadets need to be certified as an emergency medical technician and be in good physical shape.

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He also said there is a personal quality they need to succeed.

“Really what it takes is determination and a real hunger to be a firefighter,” DiGiovanna said.

The fire chief said this year’s group included four women and several students from different ethnic backgrounds including Armenian, Asian, Latino and black.

After graduation, a graduate can apply to any department of their choosing. DiGiovanna said one will soon start work with the Chicago Fire Department, while another has an offer in Long Beach.

He attributes the success of the academy to the cooperation of all the different departments, including those of Burbank and Pasadena, which act as training resources.

“Everybody works very well together,” DiGiovanna said.

Andy Nguyen, andy.nguyen@latimes.com

Twitter: @Andy_Truc