Firefighters from Methuen and Andover were among those recently completing the Massachusetts Firefighting Academy’s 50-day Career Recruit Firefighting Training Program.
Michael Bodenrader and Jarred LeBlanc of the Methuen Fire Department and Adam Cole and Mathew Companeschi of the Andover Fire Department trained at the Stow campus and participated in a 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,” said State Fire Marshal Peter J. Ostroskey. The Massachusetts Firefighting Academy, a division of the Department of Fire Services, offers the program tuition-free.
In response to the pandemic, the 10-week curriculum was reorganized to take advantage of online learning technology while ensuring plenty of practical skill experience on-campus with instructors. Students alternated between the virtual classroom for two weeks, on campus for practical training—using special safeguards and social distancing—for four weeks, back to the virtual classroom for a week, returning to campus for two weeks and finishing the final week in the virtual classroom.
Massachusetts Firefighting Academy Director David C. Evans said, “First responders are on the frontlines protecting their communities and these newest firefighters are needed now more than ever. We have taken advantage of technology, reduced class size to increase social distancing, implemented daily screening, and required mask-wearing to keep our instructors and students as safe as possible during these uncertain times.”
The academy notes today’s firefighters do far more than fight fires. They are the first ones called to respond to chemical and environmental emergencies, ranging from the suspected presence of carbon monoxide to a gas leak. They may be called to rescue a child who has fallen through the ice or who has locked himself in a bathroom. They rescue people from stalled elevators and those who are trapped in vehicle crashes. They test and maintain their equipment including self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA), hydrants, hoses, power tools and apparatus.
Firefighters attending the Academy learn these skills and more from certified fire instructors who are also experienced firefighters. Students learn all the basic skills they need to respond to fires, to contain and to control them. They also receive training in public fire education, hazardous material incident mitigation, flammable liquids, stress management, confined space rescue techniques and rappelling.