Over the past few months Longwood Fire Company members have been dedicating hundreds of hours to advance their training. Dave Thomson completed Firefighter I this spring, as did John Bowers in the fall of 2009. Firefighter I consists of over 150 hours of classroom and practical exercises. Both the educational and physical components are very demanding of the students. This certification is the foundation of knowledge and experience which Dave and John will expand upon as they continue their service to this community.

Mert LaBare, Mike Syska, Janell Gottschalk, Dennis Bisson, Mike Leventry, and Jim McGovern are all graduates of Firefighter II this spring. Firefighter II advanced their firefighting skills and expanded upon the members' knowledge of Incident Command. Firefighter II required 140 hours of dedication over the course of many weekends and evenings.

AJ McCarthy, Tim Horstman, and Janell Gottschalk also completed Fire Instructor I this spring. This course provided AJ, Tim, and Janell with the knowledge and confidence to become better leaders in the fire service. The graduates now have the tools and know-how to share the knowledge and experience they have gained over the years with fellow fire and rescue service members.

Congratulations to these members on a fantastic accomplishment.