Two Methuen Firefighters Among 63 Graduates from Massachusetts Firefighting Academy

James Traverso, left, and Jeffrey Solimine of the Methuen Fire Department. (Courtesy photograph.)

Jeffrey Solimine and James Traverso of the Methuen Fire Department were among 63 graduates Friday of Massachusetts Firefighting Academy.

State Fire Marshal Peter J. Ostroskey and Deputy State Fire Marshal Maribel Fournier said graduates completed the 50-day Career Recruit Firefighting Training Program. Solimine and Traverso were among 23 who trained at the Stow campus. They were joined by firefighters from Ashland, Concord, Everett, Hopedale, Lowell, Revere and Somerville.

“First responders are on the frontlines protecting their communities, and these newest firefighters are needed now more than ever,” said Ostroskey. “The rigorous professional training they’ve received provides them with the physical, mental and technical skills to perform their jobs effectively and safely.”

Students receive classroom training in all basic firefighter skills. They practice first under non-fire conditions and then during controlled fire conditions. To graduate, students 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.

Upon successful completion of the Recruit Program all students have met the national standards of National Fire Protection Association 1001 and are certified to the level of Firefighter I and II, and Hazardous Materials First Responder Operational Level by the Massachusetts Fire Training Council, which is accredited by the National Board on Fire Service Professional Qualifications.

The Academy, which marked its 50th anniversary earlier this year, provides recruit and in-service training at three separate campuses and has graduated nearly 14,000 recruit, call and volunteer firefighters in more than 430 classes.

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