STOW — Chief Joe Landry and the Stow Fire Department is pleased to announce that two Stow firefighter recruits graduated from the Massachusetts Fire Academy’s Call/Volunteer Firefighter Recruit Training Program last week.
On Thursday, Nov. 5, Firefighter Matt McNulty and Firefighter TimLandry graduated from the Massachusetts Firefighting Academy’s Call/Volunteer Recruit Training Class 86. Graduates were recognized last week in a ceremony at the Department of Fire Services’ headquarters in Stow.
“The entire department would like to congratulate Firefighter McNulty and Firefighter Landry for completing the Call/Volunteer Training Program,” Chief Landry said. “The skills they learned during this multifaceted course will help them advance in their careers and will make them ready to respond to any number of challenges they’ll face as firefighters.”
Both members were appointed as Apprentice Firefighters in April 2019 and completed the department’s internal recruit training before choosing to advance their fire service education by achieving Firefighter I/II certification.
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.
Firefighters McNulty and Landry were two 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 the students have met national standards of National Fire Protection Association 1001.
###