Firefighter overcomes injury to graduate top of recruit class

It takes firefighter Zachary Horton a minute and a half to gear up — 30 seconds less than the state requirement. 

Boots, gloves, hood, helmet and a breathing apparatus slip on like second nature. Every second counts for Horton and other employees of the Macon-Bibb County Fire Department.

But this is what they’re trained to do. Horton is the valedictorian of the department’s most recent fire recruit class, 26 people strong. It was a challenging journey.

He first entered training in June 2025, but a stress fracture led to a broken femur that forced him to put class on hold. 

“That’s the first thing I thought of when I broke my leg … ‘I hope that I can still graduate,’” he recalled.

Horton had surgery to have a metal rod implanted. Instead of training alongside fellow recruits, he set his sights on learning to walk again. He spent 12 weeks in recovery and returned to class after nine weeks — though still unable to participate in some of the physical activities. 

Firefighter training consists of four months of both physical and mental tests. Recruits constantly train, run 1.5 miles everyday and take three tests a week. 

“You basically don’t have a life outside of training for that four months,” Horton said. 

He received full medical clearance the day before he would have graduated from training and enrolled in the next recruit class this past January.

In June, Horton had his first 24-hour shift at Fire Station No. 10. Inside the Oglethorpe Street station, a bell rings followed by a tone that indicates the type of emergency. Horton stays attuned to the various announcements, ready to jump into action if needed. 

“They can teach us a lot of stuff in training, but there’s also a lot of things that they can’t prepare you for,” he said. “You have to take it as it comes.”

But practice doesn’t end after graduation, said Lt. Brandon Teague. It’s actually just begun. 

“We need to know that he knows what he’s doing,” he said.

In the afternoon heat outside of the fire station, Teague walks Horton through a practice exercise. He instructs the new firefighter to pull the 4-inch water supply line off the back of the fire truck and properly connect it to a fire hydrant without letting the massive line get caught on anything — something he said should take roughly 30 seconds. The task requires 26 full rotations of a wrench.

Their work is “organized chaos,” Teague said, but safety is still the most challenging part of the job.

For Horton, having a job that utilizes his body and requires physical activity is what initially made him set out to be a firefighter. A friend who trained as a firefighter also encouraged him to do so.

Although Horton never imagined becoming a firefighter — nor could he predict the setbacks he faced along the way — he said the career path has provided him with a “sense of purpose.”

He’s also inspiring others — including his almost 3-year-old son. The toddler has a newfound fascination with fire trucks.