Onset firefighters graduate academy

STOW — Seven Onset firefighters have graduated from the Call/Volunteer Recruit Firefighter Training Program offered by the Massachusetts Firefighting Academy. 

The graduates received certificates of completion at a ceremony held at Bridgewater State University on Wednesday, May 1. 

Jacob Achstetter, William Burke, Jarred Doody, Jacob Fraser, Nathaniel Gaboury, Owen Gurner and Sydney Haskell graduated the course from Onset Fire Department. 

“The Onset Fire Department would like to congratulate our newest recruits, who finished the Massachusetts Department of Fire Services Call/Volunteer Recruit Class #111,” read an announcement on Facebook. 

“Massachusetts firefighters are on the frontlines protecting their communities every day, and today’s graduates are needed now more than ever,” said State Fire Marshal Jon Davine. “The hundreds of hours of foundational training they’ve received will provide them with the physical, mental, and technical skills to perform their jobs effectively and safely.”

The Call/Volunteer Firefighter Recruit Training Program is unique in that it delivers a standard recruit training curriculum, meeting national standards, on nights and weekends to accommodate the schedule of firefighters in suburban and rural areas. Making the training more accessible means more firefighters can participate and allows them more time to practice training skills with instructors.

The MFA, a division of the Department of Fire Services, has offered the program since 2003. More than 3,000 call and volunteer recruits have graduated since then.