Haverhill Welcomes Four Call Firefighters Upon Academy Graduation Tuesday Night

(Additional photograph below.)

Four more call firefighters will be helping to man Haverhill’s Ayers and Rocks Village fire stations after graduating Tuesday night from the Massachusetts Firefighting Academy.

Taking part in graduation exercises at Lynnfield Middle School were Ryan Wentworth, Maria Rodriguez, Michael Denuccio and Javier Vargas. They were among 21 taking part in the Academy’s Call/Volunteer Recruit Class #117. Haverhill Fire Chief Robert M. O’Brien told WHAV his department’s hiring surge over the last year had depleted the call firefighters who man the village outposts as needed.

“Given some of the recent hirings, we were down in numbers in terms of our call firefighters. That’s why this group of young individuals, new recruits, have been at the Academy for the last, roughly, three months,” the chief said. He explained the call and volunteer programs tend to take place over longer periods to accommodate off-hours, night and weekend trainings.

O’Brien said the call firefighters will continue to train weekly at the village stations.

Wentworth was additionally presented with the Martin H. McNamara Outstanding Student Award. The award is named for “Marty” McNamara, a call firefighter with the Lancaster Fire Department who lost his life in the line of duty in 2003 while battling a fire in a multifamily home. The award is presented to one recruit in each graduating call/volunteer training class and recognizes their academic and practical skills, testing and evaluations over the course of the program.

If the Wentworth name sounds familiar, Ryan is the third generation of his family to serve the department over the decades. His father is fire Inspector Richard H. “Ricky” Wentworth and grandfather is late Capt. Richard H. Wentworth. He is also the nephew of former Deputy Robert H. “Beanie” Wentworth and second cousin, retired firefighter Adam Wentworth.

Denuccio and Vargas are also candidates for full-time firefighting positions.

Besides Haverhill, recruits also came from fire departments in Essex, Hamilton, Lincoln, Lynnfield, Nahant, Newburyport, Topsfield and Wenham.

O’Brien said hiring to replace retirees continues with two more going to the Massachusetts Firefighting Academy.

“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 on nights and weekends will provide them with the physical, mental and technical skills to perform their jobs effectively and safely.”

After the ceremony, Academy Deputy Director of Training Dennis A. Ball said, “Massachusetts Firefighting Academy instructors draw on decades of experience in the fire service to train new recruits. Through consistent classroom instruction and practical exercises, tonight’s graduates have developed the tools they’ll need to protect their communities.”