(above, l-r) Fire Chief Al Gallo, Sebastian Leon, and Kevin Ryan.
Two Stirling Firefighters Graduate from the Fire Academy
Two Stirling Vol. Fire Co. firefighters graduated in early March from the very difficult and challenging state mandated Firefighter I course that was conducted at the Somerset County Fire Academy. An hour before the firefighter’s March 7, 2019 monthly meeting Chief Al Gallo congratulated Sebastian Leon and Kevin Ryan with personalized helmet shields, #136 and #137 respectively. These shields indicate they are now full-fledged and well trained firefighters. They had to complete more than 220 hours of vigorous classroom and field training in all aspects of firefighting.
Both were Junior Firefighters and now that they are 18 years old and became Firefighter I certified, they have become regular firefighters.
The parents and relatives of the two men were invited to witness the shield presentation ceremony and share in coffee and cake along with the taking of numerous photos. A strict dress code was maintained for Firefighter I training and in both courses attendees would fail automatically if they missed even one day of training. They also had to pass grueling physical and written tests.
