Christopher Sorrentino of Hoboken has wanted to become a firefighter ever since he lost three friends in a blaze during college. In January of 2012, an off-campus house near Marist College in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. caught fire with seven people inside. Sorrentino’s fraternity brother and two other friends died in the blaze.
The cause of the fire was never determined.
After graduation, Sorrentino worked as an actuary and analyst, but wanted to pursue something more fulfilling.
“I always looked and felt like I should be serving a higher purpose,” said Sorrentino. “This job came up and it felt like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity I had to move on.”