STOW — Chief Joseph Landry is pleased to announce that a Stow firefighter graduated from the Massachusetts Firefighting Academy’s Call/Volunteer training program yesterday.
Firefighter Rachel Vroegindewey is one of 40 graduates from the MFA’s Call/Volunteer Training Class 91, which officially completed the Firefighter I/II program on Tuesday, June 29. She has been an active call firefighter and per diem shift employee since April 2019.
During the 16-week training program, participants learn the basic skills they need to respond to fires, including lessons on control and containment, public fire education, hazardous material incident mitigation, flammable liquids, stress management, self-rescue and vehicle extrication.
Graduates of the program complete 240 hours of training, all on nights and weekends. In order to meet the standards of National Fire Protection Association 1001, they also develop proficiency in life safety, search and rescue, ladder operations, water supply, pump operation and fire attack techniques.
“Congratulations to our newest member on completing this rigorous program,” Chief Landry said. “She is a vital part of the success of a combination fire department and her newest certification is the result of her hard work and proficiency in firefighting.”
Other graduates of Class 91 represent the fire departments of Ayer, Boxborough, Boylston, Carlisle, Dunstable, Groton, Groveland, Hopedale, Leicester, Lincoln, Lunenburg, Merrimac, Millville, Plympton, Shirley, Sutton, Templeton, Topsfield, Tyngsborough, West Brookfield and West Newbury.
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