NORTH READING — Fire Chief Don Stats is pleased to announce that North Reading firefighter Carisma Michel graduated from the Massachusetts Firefighting Academy (MFA).
Firefighter Carisma Michel was among 31 firefighters from more than 20 departments who graduated from the MFA’s Career Recruit Firefighter Training Program Class of #317.
Graduates completed the 10-week program on January 22 at the MFA headquarters in Stow.
“I would like to congratulate Carisma on this accomplishment, and I am looking forward to watching him grow his career here in North Reading,” said Chief Stats.
The Massachusetts Firefighting Academy program teaches the essentials of fire and non-fire conditions, life safety, search and rescue, ladder operations, water supply, pump operation and fire attack. The graduates are now certified at the level of Firefighter I and II and in hazardous material operation.
Certified and more experienced firefighters lead classroom instruction, physical fitness training, firefighter skills training and firefighting practice. Students are given training in public fire education, hazardous material incident mitigation, flammable liquids, stress management, confined space rescue techniques and rappelling.
Upon successful completion of the Career Recruit Program, all students have met the national standards of NFPA 1001, Standard for Fire Fighter Professional Qualifications, and are certified to the levels of Firefighter I/II and Hazardous Materials First Responder Operations by the Massachusetts Fire Training Council, which is accredited by the National Board on Fire Service Professional Qualifications.
The other graduates represented the fire departments of Bedford, Danvers, Dracut, Holden, Marlborough, Melrose, Milford, Nahant, Natick, Newton, North Andover, Phillipston, Reading, Revere, Salem, Saugus, Seekonk, Tewksbury and Weston.