Bedford’s newest firefighters, Carla Sahrbeck and Chris Snowdon are members of the 279th class of the Massachusetts Firefighting Academy’s fifty-day Career Recruit Firefighter Training Program who graduated on January 10, 2020.
Fire Chief David Grunes attended the ceremony along with Bedford firefighters and family members.
It was a significant celebration for multiple reasons.
Sahrbeck is the Town’s first female firefighter, and Snowden is the department’s newest Dad. Two-week-old Sawyer dressed for the occasion in a pair of monogrammed firefighter overalls.
35 Graduates from 20 Fire Departments
State Fire Marshal Peter J. Ostroskey said, “This rigorous professional training provides our newest firefighters with the basic skills to perform their jobs effectively and safely.”
The 35 graduates — three women and 32 men — represent the 20 fire departments of Acton, Arlington, Bedford, Beverly, Concord, Hingham, Hopedale, Ipswich, Leominster, Lexington, Lynn, Manchester, Mansfield, Marshfield, Maynard, Melrose, Rockland, Sudbury, Taunton, and Yarmouth.
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.
Today’s Firefighters Do Far More than Fight Fires
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. 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, contain and control fires. They receive training in public fire education, hazardous material incident mitigation, flammable liquids, stress management, confined space rescue techniques, and rappelling. The intensive, ten-week program for municipal firefighters involves classroom instruction, physical fitness training, firefighter skills training, and live firefighting practice.
Basic Firefighter Skills
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 Recruit Program all students have met national standards of National Fire Protection Association 1001 and are certified to the level of Firefighter I and II, and Hazardous Materials First Responder Operational Level by the Massachusetts Fire Training Council, which is accredited by the National Board on Fire Service Professional Qualifications.
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