Sudbury Firefighter Joins 25 Graduating from State Firefighting Academy

Representing 15 fire departments, 25 graduates - 21 men and four women - graduated from the Massachusetts State Firefighting Academy this week.

State Fire Marshal Stephen Coan and Massachusetts Firefighting Academy Director George Kramlinger announced the graduation of the 227th class of the Massachusetts Firefighting Academy’s 45-day Career Recruit Firefighting Training Program on May 1, 2015.

Nicholas Navarett from Sudbury was among the graduates.

“This rigorous professional training provides our newest firefighters with the basic skills to perform their jobs effectively and safely,” said State Coan in an announcement.

The Massachusetts Firefighting Academy (MFA), a division of the Department of Fire Services, offers this program, tuition-free. The ceremony took place at the Department of Fire Services in Stow.

Today’s firefighters do far more than fight fires, said the release. Firefighters 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. They test and maintain their equipment including self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA), hydrants, hoses, power tools, and apparatus.

At the Massachusetts Firefighting Academy they learn all these skills and more from certified fire instructors who are also experienced firefighters, said the announcement.