For the second time this year, the Minneapolis Fire Department held a graduation ceremony to welcome new recruits to its ranks.
The 10 new firefighters, some of whom passed the test in 2006 and have had to wait since then to join the department, were welcomed Thursday by Chief John Fruetel in a ceremony held at the city's Emergency Operations Training Facility.
"You're ready," Fruetel told the group, as 100 friends and family members looked on.
The class welcomed Thursday is the second to join the department in 2013; a group of nine cadets graduated in May.
The recession and tight city budgets dramatically slowed the Fire Department's hiring plans in recent years.
