Shrewsbury Resident Graduates from Chief Fire Officer Management Training

A Shrewsbury captain was among the 33 fire officers from 33 communities graduated from the 21st offering of the Massachusetts Firefighting Academy’s Chief Fire Officer Management Training Program on Thursday, Dec. 11.

Seth Colby, captain of the Shrewsbury Fire Department, joined others from Amherst, Arlington, Auburn, Ayer, Barnstable, Billerica, Bourne, Brockton, Brookline, Cohasset, Duxbury, Easton, Everett, Falmouth, Holden, Lexington, Littleton, Longmeadow, Marblehead, Massport, Natick, Plainville, Randolph, Stow, Wakefield, Wayland, West Springfield, Westborough, Westford, Weymouth, Wrentham and Yarmouth in the graduation ceremony.

According to a press release, the 13-week program was developed in accordance with National Fire Protection Association Standards for chief fire officers, and is delivered jointly by the Edward J. Collins, Jr. Center for Public Management at the University of Massachusetts and the Massachusetts Firefighting Academy. It is a comprehensive course providing training in the non-fire suppression aspects of managing fire departments.

State Fire Marshal Stephen D. Coan said, “These fire service leaders are committed to continually developing their management and leadership skills in order to provide the highest level of service to the communities they protect.”