July 29, 2022 3:50 a.m.

Douglas County Fire District No. 2 and Winston-Dillard Fire District have announced that two men have completed their new hire academy and participated in a graduation ceremony and badge pinning on Thursday at the Melrose fire station.

A release said Steven Roberts and Jordan Mesa went through six weeks of daily training in preparation for going on shift. Both fire fighters were successful and are now being assigned to a shift to complete the rest of their probationary year.

Both Roberts and Mesa were students in fire science and paramedic programs at Umpqua Community College. They completed their volunteer work experience at Fire District No. 2 where they served community members side-by-side, with career firefighters. Both District No. 2 and Winston-Dillard Fire District offer a volunteer program providing valuable on-the-job experience, training and tuition scholarships.

The release said both agencies regularly host UCC fire science and paramedic student volunteers every year and are currently looking for more.  Contact either district for more information.