Haverhill’s Figueroa and Pettis Graduate Fire Academy; Most New Recruits Now Onboard

Haverhill Firefighters John Pettis and Melanie Figueroa completed the Massachusetts Firefighting Academy 50-day Career Recruit Firefighting Training Program. (Courtesy photograph.)

Two more Haverhill firefighters graduated Friday from the Massachusetts Firefighting Academy.

Melanie Figueroa—who began as the city’s first female call firefighter and now is the second career female—and John Pettis completed the 50-day Career Recruit Firefighting Training Program. Haverhill’s hiring surge stems from adding 16 positions to fill a second ladder truck thanks to a $4.1 million federal grant and replacing seven retiring firefighters. With most of the new recruits on board, Haverhill placed its second ladder truck out of Bradford into service Sunday morning (See separate story).

Figueroa and Pettis join counterparts John Brouder and James Nussbaum from North Andover; Christopher Drumm, Griffin Foley, Joseph Lords and Justin Mullen from Andover and 25 others that comprised Class 322.

Haverhill Fire Chief Robert M. O’Brien said six more Haverhill recruits are on their way to the Academy Monday. The chief said the department is also half way through replacing retirees, but must wait for another Civil Service list to be issued after it depleted three reserve lists.

“Massachusetts firefighters are on the frontlines protecting their communities every day, and today’s graduates are needed now more than ever,” said State Fire Marshal Jon M. Davine. “The hundreds of hours of foundational training they’ve received will provide them with the physical, mental, and technical skills to perform their jobs effectively and safely.”

The Richard N. Bangs Outstanding Student Award, which is presented to one recruit in each graduating career recruit training class, was presented to Foley of the Andover Fire Department. The award is named for the longtime chair of the Massachusetts Fire Training Council and reflects the recruit’s academic and practical skills, testing, and evaluations over the course of the 10-week program.

Comments are closed.