New Westfield Firefighters David Albert (l) and Tyler Ritchie take a moment before graduation. (Photo by Dennis Hohenberger)
Westfield Fire Chief Mary Regan congratulates Firefighters Tyler Ritchie and David Albert. (Photo by Dennis Hohenberger)
The Massachusetts Firefighting Academy in Springfield. The $13 million center will train Western Mass. recruits. (Photo by Dennis Hohenberger)
Area fire chiefs applaud the efforts of the first class to graduate from the Massachusetts Firefighting Academy in Springfield. (Photo by Dennis Hohenberger)
Recruits often train inside the hose line tower. (Photo by Dennis Hohenberger)
Firefighter David Albert addresses his fellow graduates. (Photo by Dennis Hohenberger)
Westfield Fire Chief Mary Regan awards Firefighter David Albert with his diploma. They are joined by Acting State Fire Marshal Peter Ostroskey and State Rep. Jose Tosado D-Springfield. (Photo by Dennis Hohenberger)
SPRINGFIELD – Newly pinned Westfield firefighters David O. Albert and Tyler D. Ritchie, along with 14 recruits from across western Mass., became the first class to graduate from the Massachusetts Firefighting Academy in Springfield.
On Tuesday, the academy hosted a graduation ceremony for Class #S01 at the $13.4 million modern training facility. Springfield Mayor Dominic J. Sarno was the invited speaker. He was joined by local fire chiefs, state fire officials and local leaders.
Besides Westfield, the graduates hailed from Easthampton, Holyoke, Longmeadow, East Longmeadow and Springfield.
For nearly 30 years, area departments pitched the Commonwealth for a regional training center. Until recently, recruits traveled to the Stowe, the state’s main firefighting academy. Many recruits made the over one-hour daily drive each way or stayed in motels or local fire stations during the nine-week course.
The new academy, located on Grochmal Drive in Indian Orchard, eliminates long commutes or spending weeks away from home. Recruits will have more study or family time.
Westfield Fire Chief Mary Regan said the state’s former fire marshal agreed with a need for a western Mass. training center. “Having the facility here makes it easier for candidates who go to recruit school,” she said.
The center also reduces travel and lodging expenses for area departments. Recruits face a boot camp setting, including intense physical training.
“The fire service isn’t just about putting out fires anymore,” Regan said.
Participants must learn about hose lines, building construction, hydraulics, how to move water and enter hazardous environments, performing rescues, communications and department command structures.
“This teaches them how to be safe and work in an environment that isn’t really safe,” said Regan.
The firefighters will undergo additional training once they report to their new stations.
Before the Springfield academy opened, Regan said new recruits waited as long as nine months before the next class began. During the delay, the recruits underwent in-house training, mostly on the city’s ambulance service.
“It’s going to ease up the east side of the state so that those people can attend the classes and get in them more quickly,” she said. “At least, that’s what we hope.”
She added that firefighters who came on the job in 1986-87, when state funding jumped, have or are starting to retire. Two Westfield recruits are slated to attend the academy in April.
Ritchie, 26, said while the work was often times grueling, he found the experience rewarding.
“I’m just excited to get started,” he said.
Being a member of the academy’s first class, he entered training with no expectations.
“No one has every done it before,” he said. “I didn’t have anyone to ask what it would be like.”
Academy staff, he said, told the class to “set the bar high” for future recruits. He thanked his fellow graduates for working hard and maintaining high standards.
“We had a great group of guys. We came together quick. Working as a team is a big part of the fire service,” said Ritchie.
He said his father, David Ritchie, a 27-year member of the department, mentored him over the years and provided valuable insight in what it takes to be a firefighter.
“He’s always talking about how much he likes the job. It was an easy decision for me,” said Ritchie.
Albert, who was chosen as the class speaker, said the support of family members made the tough training bearable. Besides training daily from 7 a.m. – 3:30 p.m., the recruits pored nightly over a 1,000-page manual.
He felt honored for being a member of the academy’s first class.
“I don’t think a lot of us realized how big of an honor it was until we started getting through the academy,” he said.
While he recalled instructors regularly barking orders at the recruits, he noted the instructors’ enthusiasm and high-energy throughout the nine-weeks.
“It surprised us a lot of times about how enthusiastic they were, how knowledgeable they were, and how much they care about not only passing tests but making us better firefighters,” he said. “There’s going to be a time when we will do mutual aid in other cities and we’ll be helping them out.”
State Fire Marshal Peter J. Ostroskey said the new center represents decades of efforts to secure a local training center.
“I know these recruits, since mid-November, have been longing for this day, but trust me when I tell you the Commonwealth’s Department of Fire Services, and certainly the western Mass. fire service, has been longing for this as well,” he said.
He told the recruits to take a deep breath and to savor the moment before they begin their long careers. There will come days, he said, when the new firefighters will face tough days and bear witness to some times tragic events.
“It’s an inherently dangerous job but we can strive to make it as safe as possible when we operate in the field,” said Ostroskey.
Albert and Ritchie were expected to report to their stations this week.
