WINDSOR LOCKS, Conn. — Over the three decades that the doors of the Connecticut Fire Academy have been open, thousands of men and women have graduated and, literally, moved up the ladder in departments around the state and beyond.
To commemorate the 30 years since the Fire Academy opened, the staff there is offering an array of classroom courses for firefighters from around the region – all for free this weekend.
Jeff Morrisette, the state fire administrator and veteran firefighter, remembers when the Academy first opened in 1994. He was proud to help with the plan to offer free instruction to fellow firefighters this weekend.
“It’s a way to celebrate our instructors and to celebrate the anniversary and to give back to our firefighter family,” said Morrisette.
“It’s our version of giving back to the fire service that supported us and to provide specific types of training they may have never seen before -- it’s a great opportunity,” added Alan Zygmunt, the public information officer at the Connecticut Fire Academy. He began his training at the Academy in 1995.
Zygmunt noted that around 600 firefighters from all over the region registered for the free classes, “representing 119 different agencies throughout New England.”
“It’s really awe-inspiring when you think about the number of people that have come through the doors and the amount of fire service experience that the state has – just the instructors that have trained here and the firefighters that have attended here,” Zygmunt added.
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