Stoneham Firefighter Graduates From Academy

A release from the Stoneham Fire Department:

Stoneham Firefighter Miles Plant graduated from the Massachusetts Firefighting Academy Monday according to Chief Matthew Grafton.

Firefighter Plant 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.

"I want congratulate Firefighter Plant on behalf of the entire department for graduating from this intensive training program," Chief Grafton said. "He will be a valuable addition to the Stoneham Fire Department."

Firefighter Plant was sworn into the Stoneham Fire Department on July 9, and entered the academy a few weeks later. He is a 2008 Stoneham High School graduate, holds a bachelor's degree in finance from the University of Massachusetts Lowell, and from 2010 to 2016, he served as a motor vehicle specialist in the Army National Guard. On Oct. 17, Firefighter Plant will become a member of Stoneham Fire Department's Group 4.

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.

Left to right: Firefighter Miles Plant and Chief Matthew Grafton. (Courtesy Photo Stoneham Fire Department)