Melrose Paramedic Graduates From Firefighting Academy

MELROSE, MA — The fire department will soon welcome its newest member.

Abigail Smith graduated from the Massachusetts Firefighter Academy's main campus in Stow on Friday. She is the sole Melrose member in the academy’s 337th class, which consists of 33 recruits from 17 municipalities who successfully completed their 50-day training.

State Fire Marshal Jon Davine said that the training will provide the graduates with the physical, mental, and technical skills they need for decades to come.

“Today’s graduates are needed now more than ever,” Davine said.

Smith began as a paramedic for the Melrose Fire Department in the fall of 2024. Her initial appointment was part of an initiative to increase representation within the department as she was brought on along with Kristina Harris, Meghan Johanson, and Sarah Linstad.

“Massachusetts Firefighting Academy instructors draw on decades of experience in the fire service to train new recruits,” MFA Recruit Program Coordinator Dean Babineau said. “Through consistent classroom instruction and practical exercises, today’s graduates have developed the tools they’ll need to work seamlessly with veteran firefighters in their home departments and in neighboring communities as mutual aid.”

To graduate, students must demonstrate proficiency in the categories of life safety, search and rescue, ladder operations, water supply, pump operation, and fire attack. Fire attack operations range from mailbox fires to multiple-floor or multiple-room structural fires. Upon successful completion of the Career Recruit Program, all students have met the national standards and are certified to the levels of Firefighter and Hazardous Materials First Responder Operations by the Massachusetts Fire Training Council.

The Melrose Fire Department has more than 50 firefighters and operates out of three stations.

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