Photo/Courtesy Shrewsbury Fire
Shrewsbury – Shrewsbury Fire Chief James Vuona announced that five firefighters recently completed their fire academy training.
On June 26, five members of the Shrewsbury Fire Department successfully completed the Massachusetts Department of Fire Services’ Call/Volunteer Firefighter Recruit Training Program. The ceremony was held at the Department of Fire Services headquarters in Stow.
Connor Jordan, Alex Milosz, Steven Ebers, Michael Filiere and Owen Bouffard represented Shrewsbury in the graduating class.
“Each of these new firefighters underwent extensive training and I’m confident that they’ll arrive ready to respond to any calls that come in and make immediate contributions to our department,” Vuona said. “I want to congratulate each of them for completing this rigorous program, and I’m looking forward to the service they’ll provide to our community.”
At the ceremony, the new members were honored and recognized by State Senator Michael Moore (D-Millbury) and Selectman John Samia. All five Shrewsbury Fire recruits aspire to become full-time members of the department once they become eligible.
The Call/Volunteer program is unique in the way that it delivers traditional firefighter recruit training, meeting national standards, through coursework that’s completed exclusively on nights and weekends – better accommodating part-time firefighters from suburban and rural communities.
In addition, the Call/Volunteer program offers coursework both online and in-person, better enabling them to complete their hands-on training to ensure they are as prepared as possible for the diverse responsibilities they will face as call firefighters.
To graduate, participants must demonstrate proficiency in life safety, search and rescue, ladder operations, pump operation and fire attack. Recruits also conduct extensive training in areas unrelated to fire, including responding to medical emergencies, motor vehicle crashes and more.
Upon their graduation, all five Shrewsbury Fire recruits are now eligible to earn their Firefighter I and II certifications, as well as certification as Hazardous Materials First Responders on the operational level.
The Shrewsbury Fire Department graduates were among a class of 36 graduates from 16 departments, including Ashburnham, Avon, Dudley, Hardwick, Littleton, Mendon, Millville, North Brookfield, Oxford, Sherborn, Spencer, Templeton, Townsend, Upton and Weston.
