Fall River Fire Department welcomes 18 new members, New Bedford and Lakeville also add new firefighters

Fall River, New Bedford, and Lakeville Fire Departments have new firefighters after a merged fire academy for firefighter recruit training that began in March and recently concluded.

Most of the training took place at the Fall River Fire Department’s Training Facility located on Commerce Drive in Fall River. The recruits attended a ten-week academy allowing them to obtain their Firefighter I & II state certification. The Fall River Fire Department welcomes eighteen new firefighters, with the New Bedford Fire Department welcoming ten new members, and the Lakeville Fire Department one new member. All three departments pooled their instructors, resources, and equipment which resulted in cost savings for all three departments.

The recruits received training in emergency medical care, basic firefighting skills, hazardous materials emergencies, and rescue skills including vehicle extrication. The recruits also received instruction from MA Fire Academy instructors along with instructors from all three departments who offer decades of firefighting and rescue experience.

The new 18 Fall River Firefighters are Brian Ieixeira, Carlin Desmarais, Christopher Antao, Daniel Lovenbury, Jacob Tavares, Jeremy Folger, John Rodrigues, Jonathan Pimental, Joseph Manchester, Kevin Cateon, Owen Nientimp, Ryan Roque, Sean Cabral, Kurt Rodrigues, Logan Walmsley, Matthew Silva, Nathan Mathieu, and Nicholas Garant.