Two firefighters each from Haverhill and North Andover graduated Friday from the Massachusetts Firefighting Academy’s 50-day Career Recruit Firefighting Training Program, while another Haverhill resident graduated Feb. 27 from the Academy’s Call/Volunteer Recruit Firefighter Training.
Kyle Lepore and Matthew Ortins of the Haverhill Fire Department and Sarah Capuano and Kevin Smiertelny of the North Andover Fire Department were among 17 firefighters from 12 fire departments training at the Academy’s Stow campus.
“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.
Students practice first under non-fire conditions and then during controlled fire conditions. To graduate, they must demonstrate proficiency in life safety, search and rescue, ladder operations, water supply, pump operation and fire attack. Fire attack operations range from mailbox fires to multiple-floor or multiple-room structural fires.
John Pettis, on behalf of the Haverhill Fire Department, was also among 29 graduates from 14 fire departments receiving certificates of completion at the Massachusetts Firefighting Academy’s Call/Volunteer Recruit Firefighter Training Class in Stow.
“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 for social distancing, implemented daily screening, and required mask-wearing to keep our instructors and students as safe as possible during these uncertain times,” said Deputy State Fire Marshal Maribel Fournier who is serving as the MFA director.
Officials said the Call/Volunteer Firefighter Recruit Training program delivers a standard recruit training curriculum, meeting national standards, on nights and weekends to accommodate the schedule of firefighters in suburban and rural areas. Bringing the training closer to firefighters means more can participate. Before the pandemic, it already used an online eBlended format that has students doing more work outside of class and taking quizzes online.