SHREWSBURY — Fire Chief James Vuona is pleased to announce that a Shrewsbury Fire recruit and Call Firefighter graduated from the Massachusetts Fire Academy’s Call/Volunteer Firefighter Recruit Training Program yesterday.
On Thursday, Nov. 5, Firefighter Jonathan Evangelou graduated from the Massachusetts Firefighting Academy’s Call/Volunteer Recruit Firefighting Training Class 86. Graduates were recognized yesterday in a ceremony at the Department of Fire Services’ headquarters in Stow.
“On behalf of the entire department, I want to congratulate Firefighter Evangelou for completing this rigorous training program, which will make him abundantly prepared to further serve the Shrewsbury community,” Chief Vuona said. “We are looking forward to the day when he will join our full-time ranks.”
Firefighter Evangelou has been a call firefighter with the Shrewsbury Fire Department since last November, and is first in line on the department’s civil service reserve list, which will result in him being appointed as a full-time firefighter when a position becomes available.
During the 16-week training, firefighters learned the basic skills they need to respond to fires, including how to contain and control fires, public fire education, hazardous material incident mitigation, flammable liquid control, stress management, firefighter self-rescue and vehicle extrication.
In order to graduate, firefighters completed 240 hours of training, all on nights and weekends, while demonstrating proficiency in life safety, search and rescue, ladder operations, water supply, pump operation and fire attack in situations ranging from mailbox fires to multiple-floor or multi-room structure fires.
Evangelou was one of 38 graduates representing the fire departments of Athol, Ayer, Barre, Berlin, Carlisle, Dover, Dunstable, Groton, Harvard, Holden, Hopedale, Leicester, Millville, Oxford, Pepperell, Princeton, Sherborn, Shrewsbury, Southborough, Stow, Tyngsborough, Upton, Uxbridge, West Boylston and Weston.
The Massachusetts Firefighting Academy:
At the Massachusetts Firefighting Academy, firefighter recruits learn a wide range of skills in an intensive four month program. Certified and more experienced firefighters lead classroom instruction, physical fitness training, firefighter skills training and firefighting practice. Students are given training in public fire education, hazardous material incident mitigation, flammable liquids, stress management, confined space rescue techniques and rappelling. Upon successful completion of the Recruit Program, all students have met national standards of National Fire Protection Association 1001.
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