Burlington Firefighter Patrick O'Halloran Completes Training Academy

BURLINGTON, MA — The Burlington Fire Department has announced that Firefighter Patrick O'Halloran graduated from the Metro Fire Recruit Training Academy in Boston on Friday.

The academy is an 11-week program for new recruits that takes place at the Boston Fire Department's training academy on Moon Island in Boston Harbor.

O'Halloran was one of 31 recruits from around the region who took part in the training program, which features instruction in firefighting techniques, operations and safety methods.

"I would like to congratulate Firefighter O'Halloran on his completion of the Metro Fire Recruit Training Academy and welcome him to the Burlington Fire Department," Burlington Fire Chief Andrew Connerty said. "By graduating from the academy, he has shown that hard work can overcome the toughest obstacle, in both his career and life."

The training facility at Moon Island features 16 live burns rooms, three elevator training simulators, an adjustable sensory deprivation maze and various roof hatches.

Trainees also receive ladder and rope work instruction, including rappelling exercises. A smokehouse gives trainees a chance to learn how to operate in a zero-visibility environment.

The Moon Island facility also has a concrete burn pad, which simulates car fires, and a structural pad for a flashover simulator.

Trainees also learn how to drive fire trucks.