Great Barrington Firefighters Graduate from State AcademyCommunity Submission,
01:31PM / Monday, November 07, 2016 | |
 Fire Chief Burger poses with Fire Academy graduates Mohamed Morell, left, and Michael Powell. |
GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. — The town of Great Barrington has three new firefighters who graduated from the state academy last week.
The town's newest firefighters are Mohamed Morell, Jessica Dezieck and Michael Powell. They graduated on Wednesday, Nov. 2, from the Massachusetts Fire Academy after 240 hours of intensive training.
Dezieck is Great Barrington Fire Department's first woman to graduate from the Fire Academy.
"The intensity and quality of instruction at the Massachusetts Fire Academy ensures that graduates come out with a tremendous set of skills. In fact, our firefighters go through the same curriculum as full-time career firefighters," Fire Chief Charles Burger said. "I am extremely proud of our new firefighters. Our citizens can be confident in their ability to serve the community with such a high level of training.”
The firefighters graduated at a ceremony held at the academy's Western campus in Springfield. The Department of Fire Services hosts academy classes for volunteer and call firefighters with the same curriculum as full-time firefighters, but with a modified schedule that accommodates the busy lives and careers of volunteer/call firefighters.
Over the past four months, Morell, Dezieck and Powell attended class in Lee two nights a week, learning about fire behavior, building construction, hazardous materials, and safely sizing up an incident. On weekends, they traveled to the campus in Springfield, where they practiced the basic skills of deploying and advancing hose lines, raising ladders, and working and communicating is zero visibility situations. The class included multiple drills on fire attack, ventilation, and search and rescue, including several live burns.
"I found the program challenging yet extremely rewarding," said Morell. "I appreciate the support from the department through it and am excited to be a Great Barrington firefighter."
Dezieck added: "I'm honored and humbled to have the opportunity to learn from so many experienced men and women. It is a privilege to enter into the family of the fire service."
Town Manager Jennifer Tabakin and Sean Stanton, chairman of the Board of Selectmen, congratulated all three firefighters on their graduation and thanked them for their service and sacrifice for the community.
"We are very proud of all three of our newest firefighters, and we thank them for taking the time out of their schedules to hone their skills at the academy," Tabakin said. "I am also very proud to welcome our first female academy graduate. She is a fine role model for women and girls in our community."
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