Shrewsbury – Shrewsbury Firefighter Benjamin Gerber graduated from the Massachusetts Firefighting Academy (MFA) March 21. Gerber is veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps and served in Iraq. He earned numerous service medals and awards while a member of the military, including Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal, National Service Defense Medal, Global War on Terrorism Medal, and the Iraqi Campaign Medal.
Gerber was one of 23 firefighters from 12 fire departments around the state to graduate from the 209th class of the academy's 45-day Career Recruit Firefighting Training Program. State Fire Marshal Stephen D. Coan and Massachusetts Firefighting Academy Director Shawn P. Murray presided over the ceremony at the Department of Fire Services in Stow.
“This rigorous professional training provides our newest firefighters with the basic skills to perform their jobs effectively and safely,” Coan said. The MFA, a division of the Department of Fire Services, offers this program tuition-fre
