Firefighters Lucas Bracken and Brian Pelrine now join Melrose Fire Department
PICTURED FROM THE left: Firefighters Lucas Bracken and Brian Pelrine graduated from the Massachusetts Firefighting Academy on November 18.
MELROSE — State Fire Marshal Jon M. Davine and Melrose Fire Chief John White today announced the graduation of Melrose firefighters Brian Pelrine, a Melrose resident and Lucas Bracken as members of Class #325 of the Massachusetts Firefighting Academy’s Career Recruit Firefighting Training Program. Class #325 graduated in Stow on Monday, November 18.
The 50 day Career Recruit Firefighting Training Program provides hundreds of hours of training for firefighters to be effective first responders in Massachusetts communities. Students receive classroom training in all basic firefighter skills. They practice first under non-fire conditions and then during controlled fire conditions. To graduate, students must demonstrate proficiency in life safety, search and rescue, ladder operations, water supply, pump operation and fire attack. Fire attack operations range from mailbox fires to multiple-floor or multiple-room structural fires. Upon successful completion of the Career Recruit Program, all students have met the national standards of NFPA 1001, Standard for Fire Fighter Professional Qualifications and are certified to the levels of Firefighter I/II and Hazardous Materials First Responder Operations by the Massachusetts Fire Training Council which is accredited by the National Board on Fire Service Professional Qualifications.
Modern firefighters train for and respond to all types of hazards and emergencies. They are the first ones called to respond to chemical and environmental emergencies, ranging from the suspected presence of carbon monoxide to gas leaks to industrial chemical spills. They may be called to rescue a child who has fallen through the ice, an office worker stuck in an elevator or a motorist trapped in a crashed vehicle. They test and maintain their equipment, including self contained breathing apparatus (SCBA), hydrants, hoses, power tools and apparatus.
At the Massachusetts Firefighting Academy, recruits learn all these skills and more including the latest science of fire behavior and suppression tactics from certified fire instructors. They also receive training in public fire education, hazardous material incident mitigation, flammable liquids, stress management and self-rescue techniques. The intensive 10 week program involves classroom instruction, physical fitness training, firefighter skills training and live firefighting practice.
The graduating firefighters of Class #325 represent the fire departments of Amesbury, Ashland, Burlington, Concord, Lynn, Maynard, Medford, Melrose, Nantucket, Needham, Newton, Northbridge, Reading, Somerville, Stow, Wakefield, Wellesley and Westborough.
