8 New Montclair Firefighters Sworn In: MHS Alum Among Them

MONTCLAIR, NJ — Montclair town officials held a swearing-in ceremony for eight firefighters Wednesday in the Township Council Chambers. Municipal officials swore in five firefighters to regular status after they passed their one-year probationary period: Anthony Virgil, JaQuan Scott, Jeffrey Testa, Kevin O’Brien and Steven LoVecchio.

In addition, Adam Duchinsky, Kenneth Clermont and Peter Albanese were took the oath as probationary firefighters, officials said.

According to a town news release, Virgil, Scott and LoVecchio are Montclair High School graduates. Virgil earned his associates degree in sociology from Passaic County College, Scott has a B.S. in sports management from Hampton University and firefighter LoVecchio holds a B.A. in humanities from Montclair State University. Testa graduated Newton High School and NASCAR Technical Institute and O’Brien is a Clifton High School graduate and a certified EMT.

Town officials stated that Duchinsky is a Montclair resident and has been a volunteer firefighter with the Millburn Fire Department for 12 years. He attended New Jersey City University for fire science.

Born and raised in Montclair, Clermont graduated Montclair High School in 2002. He attended Fairleigh Dickinson University and Essex County College and worked for Bank of America for six years.

Albanese graduated from Wayne Hills High School in 2009 and has been a Wayne volunteer firefighter for six years. Albanese graduated the Passaic County Police Academy in 2015 and worked as a corrections officer for the Passaic County Sheriff’s Office.

Town officials stated that the three probationary firefighters will attend the Essex County College Public Safety Academy this fall. The program incorporates Firefighter 1 and 2 training courses which will introduce the new hires to the basics of nationally recognized firefighting techniques presented in a paramilitary setting. Methods of instruction include classroom theory, skill oriented hands-on drill sessions, as well as a physical training and conditioning program.

According to officials, student performance and progress will be evaluated throughout the course with written, practical and physical assessments. The New Jersey Division of Fire Safety's standardized Firefighter 1 and 2 certification tests are given as part of the final exam.

All students will also receive Incident Command System (ICS) orientation, blood-borne pathogens and hazardous materials awareness training, the Right to Know law, certification training in CPR at the Healthcare Provider level, and operational levels of training as required by N.J.A.C. 5:75-6.1., officials stated.

After successful completion of the Fire Academy the probationary firefighters will be assigned to groups in the Montclair Fire Department to begin their in-service training during their probationary year, township officials said.

The five men who passed their probationary period and were sworn in as regular firefighters will resume their current assignments, officials said.

Pictured: Front row from left: Brian Wilde, Robert Duncan, Adam Duchinsky, Peter Albanese, Kenneth Clermont, John Herrmann. Back row from left: Anthony Virgil, JaQuan Scott, Jeff Testa, Kevin O'Brien, Steven LoVecchio.

Photo: Montclair Township

Send local news tips, photos and press releases to eric.kiefer@patch.com