After more than a year of intense training, 10 Oak Bluffs volunteer firefighters graduated from Firefighting I and II training.
Trainees completed the training over the course of a year, beginning in January 2019, putting in a total of 245 hours on nights and weekends. The group took a brief break during the hectic summer season, but headed right back into training in the fall.
Longtime firefighter Joe Nedder, along with a team of trainers, instructed the group. Nedder is a 40-year firefighting veteran from Uxbridge, and has been conducting training for fire departments for several years. “I’ve always been on call or a volunteer. I’ve always taken it very, very seriously,” Nedder said. “You got to be able to do the job. You’ve got to have passion that burns within to excel at it.”