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Gloucester Firefighter Graduates from Academy

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Gloucester Fire Department
Eric Smith, Fire Chief
8 School St.
Gloucester, MA 01930

For Immediate Release

Monday, Oct. 15, 2018

Contact: John Guilfoil
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: [email protected]

Gloucester Firefighter Graduates from Academy

Firefighter Thomas Aldrich graduated from the Massachusetts Firefighting Academy today. (Courtesy Photo)

GLOUCESTER — Chief Eric Smith is pleased to announce that Firefighter Thomas Aldrich graduated from the Massachusetts Firefighting Academy today.

Firefighter Aldrich completed the 267th class of the Massachusetts Firefighting Academy’s 50-day Career Recruit Firefighter Training Program and was recognized this morning at a ceremony in Stow.

Residing on the North Shore, Firefighter Aldrich joined the Gloucester Fire Department as a firefighter/paramedic in November of 2017 after working for the Manchester-by-the-Sea Fire Department for nearly a year.

“We’re excited to have Firefighter Aldrich back from the academy and serving the Gloucester community,” Chief Smith said. “His skills as both a firefighter and paramedic make him an asset to this department.”

Today’s firefighters do far more than fight fires. They are the first ones called to respond to chemical and environmental emergencies, ranging from the suspected presence of carbon monoxide to a gas leak. They may be called to rescue a child who has fallen through the ice or who has locked himself in a bathroom. They rescue people from stalled elevators and those who are trapped in vehicle crashes. Firefighters test and maintain their equipment, including self-contained breathing apparatus hydrants, hoses, power tools and apparatus.

During the 10-week academy, firefighters learned the basic skills they need to respond to fires, including how to contain and control them, public fire education, hazardous material incident mitigation, flammable liquids, stress management, confined space rescue techniques and rappelling.

To graduate, firefighters were required to demonstrate proficiency in life safety, search and rescue, ladder operations, water supply, pump operation and fire attack (ranging from mailbox fires to multiple-floor or multi-room structural fires).

The 30 graduates, one woman and 29 men, represent the 26 fire departments of: Ashland, Bellingham, Boxborough, Charlton, Dracut, Gardner, Gloucester, Ipswich, Marblehead, Marshfield, New Bedford, North Andover, Northborough, Plymouth, Rockland, Sandwich, Seekonk, Somerset, Stoneham, Sudbury, Taunton, Upton, Walpole, Watertown, Weston and Winchendon.

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Manchester-by-the-Sea Seeks Firefighter/Paramedic

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The following is a message from the Town of Manchester-by-the-Sea:

Manchester-by-the-Sea MA is seeking a highly responsible candidate for the position of Firefighter/Paramedic to fill an immediate vacancy.

Minimum applicant qualifications:

  • NREMT or Massachusetts Paramedic certification
  • Pro-Board or equivalent FF I/II certification
  • S. Diploma
  • Valid Driver’s License – CDL-B with Air brake endorsement preferred
  • Drug and marijuana free
  • Able to pass a comprehensive criminal background investigation

Starting salary range: $25.76 – $27.06 per hour DOQ (plus fringe benefits and other applicable incentives)

To participate in the hiring process, send a cover letter and resume before 4 p.m. on Sept. 7 to:

Fire Chief George Kramlinger

12 School St.

Manchester-by-the-Sea, MA 01944

Questions regarding this hiring process should be addressed to the above or call 978-526-4040.

All submissions will be reviewed and the most highly qualified candidates will be invited to participate in one or more interviews and assessments.

Employment will be contingent upon the satisfactory results of a number of pre-placement conditions.  Continued employment will be contingent upon maintaining paramedic certification and successful completion of the MFA Career Recruit program (if not already accomplished).

The Town of Manchester-by-the-Sea is an AA/EOE employer.

Groveland Firefighter Brian Belfiore Awarded for Saving the Life of Haverhill Man

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Groveland Fire Department
Kurt Ruchala, Interim Fire Chief
Public Safety Building
181 Main St
Groveland, MA 01834

For Immediate Release

Thursday, May 24, 2018

Media Contact: John Guilfoil
Phone: 617-993-0003

Groveland Firefighter Brian Belfiore Awarded for Saving the Life of Haverhill Man

QUINCY — Interim Fire Chief Kurt Ruchala is proud to announce that a member of the Groveland Fire Department was honored this week alongside some of the best and brightest stars in emergency medicine.

Firefighter Brian Belfiore was presented with the EMS Stewards of the Community Award from Steward Health Care for his quick thinking in saving the life of a man who suffered a heart attack while shoveling snow during one of last winter’s major storms.

On Jan. 4, during the “bomb cyclone” that occurred during the January 2018 North American blizzard, Firefighter Belfiore was operating a plow truck in the City of Haverhill when he heard on his fire department radio that a man had gone into cardiac arrest only a block away while shoveling snow.

Firefighter Belfiore took immediate action and arrived on scene seconds later, along with Haverhill Fire Chief William Laliberty, who is a neighbor of the victim. Together, and in low-visibility conditions the two trained emergency medical technicians performed CPR on the man until the arrival of a Trinity EMS ambulance. The victim was taken to Holy Family Hospital in Methuen, and he has since made a full recovery.

“Firefighter Belfiore’s actions in January represent the best of our profession. He relied on his training and skills when every moment counted, and he saved a life,” Chief Ruchala said.

Firefighter Belfiore is a 13-year veteran of the Groveland Fire Department. He serves as the department’s EMS Officer and is responsible not only for managing the operations of emergency medical services in Groveland but for also ensuring that other firefighters are properly-trained and that the department’s medical supply inventory is fully-stocked.

The awards were given on Tuesday, May 22 during a ceremony at The Tirrell Room in Quincy. A total of 24 professionals received awards, including Firefighter Belfiore and Chief Laliberty and two Trinity EMS paramedics who responded to the incident, recognizing each as “a leader and EMS Steward of the Community” according to the award inscription.

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Attleboro Fire Department Swears In New Firefighter

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Attleboro Fire Department
Chief Scott T. Lachance
100 Union St.,
Attleboro, MA 02703

For Immediate Release

Friday, May 11, 2018

Contact: Benjamin Paulin
Phone: 781-428-3299
Email: [email protected]

Attleboro Fire Department Swears In New Firefighter

Kelsea LeBlanc Now the Second Active Female Firefighter at the Department

ATTLEBORO — Chief Scott T. Lachance is pleased to announce that Attleboro Firefighter Kelsea L. LeBlanc was sworn in during a ceremony at City Hall this week.

Firefighter LeBlanc was sworn in by Mayor Paul Heroux on Monday, May 7. She has been assigned to the B Shift at department headquarters on Union Street, where she will work on the Rescue 1 ambulance and dispatch.

Firefighter LeBlanc is the third woman to be sworn in as an Attleboro firefighter and is now one of two active female firefighters on the department.

Firefighter LeBlanc, age 23, is an Attleboro native and graduated from Attleboro High School in 2013. In 2014, she volunteered with the department doing EMS work with Deputy Chief Timothy Birch. It was this experience that led her to want to pursue a career in the fire services.

She attended Fitchburg State college where she was an on-call first responder, and continued on to work as an EMT for an ambulance company out of Woburn, Saugus and Arlington.

In 2015, Firefighter LeBlanc enlisted in the U.S. Army Reserve as a combat medic and is still currently an active duty servicewoman.

“I’ve always wanted to be able to give back to my community and help people at home,” Firefighter LeBlanc said. “It means a lot being one of only two women on the department. It was a similar situation when I joined the military. I’ve always loved challenging things. I would never want to be an office worker. Hopefully younger girls who want to do a career like this will see that it is possible.” 

Firefighter LeBlanc is currently enrolled in paramedic school and is expected to complete the program in October. After that, she will attend the Massachusetts Firefighting Academy.

“Kelsea came to work for us after high school as a volunteer,” Chief Lachance said. “It’s great to see her back here and achieving her goal of working for her hometown fire department. Her EMS and military experience will be valuable to our department and I wish her the best going forward.”

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