Local residents graduate
from county fire academy

HOWELL — The Monmouth County Fire Academy held a "Graduation Weekend" recently with 101 firefighters from 40 towns graduating in two separate ceremonies.

Most students came from Monmouth County, but some 23 students came from as far away as Manchester and Whiting, in central Ocean County, and Monroe, Piscataway and Carteret, in Middlesex County.

Firefighters from neighboring counties are trained at the Monmouth County Fire Academy if their fire companies have a mutual aid pact with a Monmouth County fire company, according to a press release from the Monmouth County Department of Public Information.

There are some 140 fire companies in Monmouth County. The fire academy is a facility provided by the Monmouth County Board of Freeholders at no cost to the fire companies.

The firefighter training program offered through the Monmouth County Fire Academy, Route 33, was developed to provide a means of training students in the arts of firefighting and emergency medical procedures, such as CPR. The purpose of this program is to help meet the needs of increasing the ranks of the volunteer fire companies.

When the students complete the training they will have qualified for state certification as a firefighter.

Freeholder Theodore J. Narozanick was the principal speaker at one of the graduation ceremonies. He urged the new firefighters to follow in the footsteps of the past and current cadre of firefighters "who have distinguished themselves by their service to their community."

"You alone stand between your neighbors and disaster," he said, as he pointed out that firefighters are often called upon to save lives and property under very stressful conditions.

The graduates include: Philip Bond Jr., of Jackson; Joseph T. Chiusano, of Freehold Township; Christopher A. Fox, of Jackson; Laszlo Gyimesi, of Freehold Township; Kyle E. Johnson, of Howell; Nicholas D. Polo, of Freehold Township; Ted C. Runyon, of Howell; Daniel S. Ryan, of Howell; Robert J. Shahinian, of Jackson; Brice J. Alemany, of Lakewood; Angelo Costagliola, of Freehold Township; Richard A. Liskowitz, of Howell; William Mersereau, of Freehold Township; Beniamino A. Paolucci, of Freehold Township; Ricky V. Romano, of Howell; Thomas Schick, of Lakewood; Dan J. Shaw, of Farmingdale; Bob C. Spalitta, of Howell; Robert M. Waters, of Jackson; and Michael A. Wojcik, of Jackson.