HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WHNT) — It was a night of celebration in Huntsville as HEMSI celebrated its 14th academy class. And for one person in particular, this night meant everything.

"It feels fantastic to be done. 400-hour class takes a good little while to get through, and when it's over it feels like a weights been lifted off your shoulders," said Colin Barnes.

Barnes went through HEMSI's 10-week program to help the people of Huntsville through times of crisis. He previously worked as an EMT in Arkansas but wanted a change.

That's when he moved to the rocket city.

With the growing population, HEMSI is getting more calls than ever before. This creates a need for more first responders.

"It will help our resources. It will help us have more people on the streets on the ambulances and doing

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