Newly graduated FDNY probie helped firefighter dad with rescues during Superstorm Sandy
NEW YORK CITY (WABC) -- Over 200 men and women will be joining the ranks of the FDNY and among the graduating class is a legacy recruit with a bit of experience with rescuing people under his belt already.
Brendan Woods is the son of Thomas Woods, a now-retired lieutenant who was recognized after his service during Superstorm Sandy.
Thomas was given the department's highest honor for rescuing 25 people while off duty in Belle Harbor, Queens.
And Brendan, who was 14 at the time, was right by his side during the rescues.
The Notre Dame graduate leads his class of 288 as valedictorian and is ready to follow in his father's footsteps.
"I'm really glad that so many of us made it through and we all got here together, Brendan Woods said. "We made the dream a reality."
His class underwent an intense 18-week training program on "the rock," the FDNY Academy on Randalls Island, which pushes some recruits to the limit.
"The thread of family is woven through the fabric of every aspect of this job and it will only continue to grow with your time in this department," FDNY Commissioner Laura Kavanagh said.
Kavanagh presided over the ceremony in Brooklyn Thursday afternoon.
"You are about to begin a career where there will be many firsts," FDNY Chief of Department John Hodgens said. "Your first run, your first fire, your first rescue, and hopefully somewhere down the road your first promotion."
Woods and his fellow probationary firefighters will now report to firehouses across the five boroughs, ready to take their place among New York's bravest.
MORE NEWS: Port Authority Police Department recruit receives late father's badge numbers at graduation ceremony
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