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Date: 12/30/2020
HUNTINGTON – The Huntington Fire Department is actively seeking call/volunteer firefighters to join their crew. Fire Chief Josh Ellinger said the call department has ten active firefighters that come out to all the calls, which in hindsight isn’t really a lot.
“We’re always looking for new talent,” Ellinger said.
Anyone wishing to join the department must be a resident of Huntington, 18 years old, a non-smoker, have a valid driver’s license, and pass a physical. These are the basic requirements to get started, Ellinger said.
Also required is to pass the training in the Mass Call/Volunteer Firefighter Academy to become a certified firefighter, a 15 week class conducted on nights and weekends with 240 hours of training time in all.
“It’s a pretty intense training, geared toward call volunteer service. You get academy training, the same as municipal firefighters. It’s a dedication, but worth it,” Ellinger said. He said the training is free for students, and Huntington pays travel costs per mile to the Massachusetts Fire Academy in Springfield. Once certified, call firefighters are paid $15 per hour per call.
Ellinger said the department regularly drills and trains on Thursday evenings at the fire station or offsite, depending upon the type of training.
Recently, Ellinger announced an Academy graduation on the Huntington Fire Department Facebook page, and congratulated resident Steven Marcoux for becoming a certified firefighter for the town of Huntington.
“It was a huge commitment to the fire service and to the Huntington Fire Department. Regrettably I couldn’t hand you this in front of your family and peers at the Academy due to the pandemic. It would have been my honor to do so for the second time in my career. We look forward to your continued service to the citizens of this town with unwavering dedication,” Ellinger posted.
In addition to responding to fires and other emergencies in town and through mutual aid to Montgomery, Worthington, Chester, Blandford, Westhampton, and Russell, Huntington firefighters are active in community events.
On Dec. 19, the department escorted Santa around town to spread holiday cheer in the Huntington Parade of Lights, announcing live on Facebook their route, so children could come to the door and wave.
On Dec. 20, firefighters from Huntington Fire teamed up again with the Hampshire County Sheriff's Office, the Northwestern DA office and the Huntington Council on Aging to participate in the TRIAD Sand For Seniors program, delivering buckets of sand to 33 seniors in the community.
When asked how many firefighters the Chief would like to add, Ellinger said, “As many as I could get. I could use another half a dozen. We’ve never had the problem of having too many people.”
Interested residents may contact the Fire Department, which is currently closed to the public, by calling 512-5212, or emailing firedept@huntingtonma.us.