Westborough Firefighters Graduate Massachusetts Firefighting Academy

Firefighters Nick Ostrander and Mark Boyer of the Westborough Fire Department graduated from the Massachusetts Firefighting Academy’s 45-day Career Recruit Firefighting Training Program on Aug. 28, according to an announcement.

“This rigorous professional training provides our newest firefighters with the basic skills to perform their jobs effectively and safely,” said Deputy State Fire Marshal Ostroskey in a release.

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, MA. Also in attendance were each of the firefighter’s families and department members. Congratulations to them both for a job well done.

Today’s firefighters do far more than fight fires, we are reminded in the announcement. 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. 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. Students learn all the basic skills they need to respond to fires and to contain and control them. They are also given training in public fire education, hazardous material incident mitigation, flammable liquids, stress management, confined space rescue techniques, and rappelling. The intensive, nine-week program for municipal firefighters involves classroom instruction, physical fitness training, firefighter skills training, and live firefighting practice.