Northborough Firefighter Graduates State Academy

NORTHBOROUGH, MA—State Fire Marshal Peter J. Ostroskey and Massachusetts Firefighting Academy Director David C. Evans announced the graduation of the 265th class of the Massachusetts Firefighting Academy’s 50-day Career Recruit Firefighter Training Program on July 27, 2018.

Among the graduates was Peter Galas from the Northborough Fire Department.

“This rigorous professional training provides our newest firefighters with the basic skills to perform their jobs effectively and safely,” said State Fire Marshal Ostroskey in a statement. 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.

The 34 graduates, all men, represent the 17 fire departments of: Bridgewater, Fairhaven, Franklin, Hopkinton, Hudson, Lexington, Littleton, Lowell, Mansfield, Marshfield, Methuen, Middleborough, Northborough, Plainville, Wellesley, Westwood and Winthrop.

The guest speaker was Stoughton Firefighter Joseph Manganaro who has been on the fire department for only six months and is a graduate of Career Recruit Firefighter Class #263. Before joining the fire department he served as a sergeant in the U.S. Marine Corps. While flying to the west coast for military training, he performed advanced life support on a fellow passenger suffering a heart attack and saved the person’s life. He stepped forward when no one answered the crew’s request for medical personnel. He told the recruits, “You will never know when you will need to rely upon your training to help others."

Photo submitted