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The first class of firefighters ever to complete the FDNY's new, more rigorous training program officially joined the ranks Tuesday.
Two hundred and sixty-five probationary firefighters graduated from the program, after making it through the department's 18-week program - an additional five weeks of training from previous years.
The graduates included 19 veterans of the United States military and former NYPD officer Stuart Ingram.
In March, Ingram was stabbed in the chest while trying to arrest a suspected drunk driver.
The blade of the knife broke against his badge and saved his life.
Both Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Fire Commissioner Nicholas Scoppetta congratulated the grads and encouraged them to continue keeping the city safe.
"We go about our lives safe and secure knowing if something goes wrong somebody like you will show up and go into danger when the rest of us are running away from it," said the mayor. "But I've come to learn in the past five and a half years the sacrifices you make and how valuable you are."
"Always keep in your hearts and in your prayers the memories of those who came before you and gave their all," said Scoppetta. "They are part of the story past of this great department. They're the legacy you have inherited and now you have the responsibility to abide by that legacy."
The new course devoted more time to engine and ladder operations, as well as building construction and inspection.
The next class - which starts next month - will spend a total of 23 weeks training at the academy.
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