48 Recruits Graduate From LAFD Academy, 5 Of Them Women

PANORAMA CITY (CBSLA.com) — For the first time in 10 years, five women graduated from the Los Angeles Fire Department Academy, according to the department.

They were among 48 recruits who graduated Thursday at the Valley Recruit Training Academy in Panorama City.

During the ceremony, the new firefighters showed off their skills, including putting out a fire, rappelling down a building and jumping off it.

"It's a little overwhelming. But I've been waiting for this for so long, it's definitely worth it. I'm just so happy that everyone could be here to share this moment with us," Samantha Ralston said.

The graduation marked several milestones for Ralston, who is now a third-generation firefighter. Her grandfather was an LAFD captain for 34 years and passed away exactly one year ago Thursday. Her grandmother pinned her grandfather's LAFD badge on her uniform at the ceremony.

Ralston's father is also a fire captain, but for the Los Angeles County Fire Department.

"This has been my dream since I was a little girl. Watched my dad go through the academy. Heard my grandpa's stories over the years," Ralston recalled. "So this is the only thing I see myself doing."

She said she and the other four female graduates relied on each other for support as they underwent a 20-week rigorous training curriculum, testing their mental and physical strength.

"We instantly had a bond because we knew it was a male-dominant profession. When we saw we had five of us, so many of us that we kind of just all just linked up and helped each other get through. And we're all here. And that's all that matters," Ralston said.

The female firefighters' advice for young women who want to follow their footsteps is to believe in themselves. "If you can tell yourself I can do it, then nothing can stop you," Ralston said.

New L.A. firefighter Tiffany Scheidler agreed. "They absolutely can do it. Don't put 'can't' in your vocabulary. Just do it," .

There are 93 female firefighters, including the five new graduates, in the LAFD.