Boston EMS Graduates Recruit Class 2021-2, Returns to In-Person Ceremony

BOSTON — July 19, 2026 — Boston EMS graduates Recruit Class 2021-2 in first fully in-person ceremony since the pandemic. The May 16 ceremony at Faneuil Hall's Great Hall saw Mayor Michelle Wu administer the oath of office to the new class, joined by Boston Public Health Commission Executive Director Dr. Bisola Ojikutu, Boston Fire Department Commissioner Jack Dempsey, and City Councilors Baker, Murphy, and Bach. Chief James Hooley noted the class had already responded to more than 4,000 clinical incidents and cared for 3,276 patients during training, including 62 overdoses, 36 strokes, and 7 gunshot victims. Wu told the graduates, "You bring the best of public service into those situations." Superintendent Joseph O'Hare formally logged the class onto dispatch, transitioning them to field operations, as a new incoming recruit class — already two weeks into training — looked on from the audience.