LANESBOROUGH, Mass. — The Lanesborough Fire Department hosted its first-ever Junior Firefighter Academy on Saturday, May 7.
The event was done in conjunction with the Berkshire County Fire Chiefs Association. Sixteen juniors attended from a number of Western Massachusetts fire departments as far away is Goshen, Huntington, Northfield, Monterey and Alford.
The inspiration for the Junior Fire Academy was Nick Garrity. He and his father, Deputy Fire Chief Wood Garrity, saw the Junior Fire Academy being hosted by the National Volunteer Fire Council, and for the costs associated to attend that decided instead to host an event locally.
The juniors that attended rotated through eight stations the stations, which included rope rescue from the western Mass Regional Technical Rescue Team ladders and lettering from the Adams Fire Department vehicle extrication with the Lanesborough Fire Department and Sayers Auto Wrecking. There was also a station where students were giving GPS coordinates and had to locate and extricate a patient.
The academy was largely supported by the Massachusetts Department of Fire Services. There were also a number of static displays, including the Berkshire County Sheriff's Office Communications vehicle, the Massachusetts State Police Communications vehicle, Department of Fire Services, and the Hampshire and Berkshire County DART trailers.
In addition, the Pittsfield Fire Department assisted by setting up a mini firefighter combat challenge. There also was a Rural Water Supply demonstration with the assistance of the Clarksburg Fire Company, the Richmond Fire Department, the New Ashford Fire Department, the Hancock Fire Department, the Lanesborough Fire Department and the Cheshire Fire Department.
The Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation Bureau of Fire Control also sent six vehicles and set up various stations for junior firefighters to see and demonstrate forest fire equipment.
The day concluded with a graduation ceremony and certificates distributed by Kevin Connolly from the Massachusetts Call Volunteer Fire Association and the Adams Fire Chief and president of the Berkshire County Fire Chiefs Association PJ Goyette.
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