For two of the newest recruits to the Belmont Fire Department, joining the fire service offered them an opportunity to continue their career of service.
“Coming from the military, I knew it was a common pathway for veterans to get into the fire service,” said Sean McGillivray, 24. “I saw it as an opportunity to continue a career of service and continue to help others while I’m still physically able.”
“I wanted a sense of purpose, belonging,” echoed fellow recruit Michael Downing, 30. “I’ve wanted to be a first [responder] since I was a kid, so joining the fire service fulfills that goal.”
McGillivray and Downing were hired by Belmont in August, and by the end of October — after a six-week training at Belmont — the two recruits were beginning their 10-week training at the Massachusetts Firefighting Academy in Stow. Following their final examination on Jan. 2, they’ll graduate and return to Belmont for their group assignment.
“We are extremely lucky to have these two recruits,” said Fire Captain David DeMarco. “They’re military trained; they understand leadership, how to follow orders; they understand how to work as a teammate with their other classmates. That’s the biggest thing this academy instills — you come in as an individual and you leave as a member of a team.”
Days at the academy typically begin with some form of physical training, followed by class time. Then it’s out to the drill yard, where recruits receive training on how to approach a range of scenarios and how and when to use certain tools and equipment.
Some of the practical training includes six burn days, the final of which was scheduled for earlier this week. Those exercises involve a search and rescue component, as well as how to cut into a roof or determine the best plan of attack for putting out a fire, including what size hose to use. Other practical training includes learning the proper techniques for water rescue and vehicle extrication.
They endure heat-tolerance training and, in general, learn to work as a team.
“They start out with a lot of the basics,” McGillivray said from the academy this week. “They do a really good job of crawl-walk-run here. They train you up.”
At the end of each week, recruits are tested. According to DeMarco, they must maintain a 70% average to continue with the program.
According to both recruits, there weren’t many surprises — something they attributed to what they learned during their six-week training in Belmont. Downing called it a “mini academy” before the real academy.
“Belmont did a very good job of prepping us to see what the academy has in store for us,” said McGillivray. “We have a bunch of guys who are on Belmont staff who are also instructors up here. They laid a good groundwork for us.”
Compared to when he was a recruit, the training has changed a bit, according to DeMarco, the Belmont fire captain, who graduated from the Fire Academy in November 1995.
The classes were bigger then, he recalled. And while the training back then was very similar to what it is now, today’s training is tailored to what firefighters need in today’s society.
“It’s not just firefighting, it’s rescuing people from high altitudes or underground, … or shootings that happen in facilities or schools, and things like that that firefighters have to be trained for,” DeMarco said. “It’s really an all-hazards type of training. It’s a lot more in-depth.”
At the end of the 10-week training, the recruits take a three-hour, 150-question examination, on which they must earn a 70% or above to pass.
“It’s pretty intense — the 10 weeks they’re here, but it’s for a good reason,” DeMarco said. “By the time they come out, you’d be very proud to have them on the street.”
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