Published: 5/22/2020 2:02:43 PM
Modified: 5/22/2020 2:02:31 PM
COLRAIN — The Colrain Firefighters’ Association is recognizing four junior firefighters who are graduating from high school this year.
Signs were posted on the Fire Station on Monday for KC Mattson of Frontier Regional School; Matt Colby of Franklin County Technical School; Megan Dyer of Smith Vocational and Agricultural High School; and Tyler Broughton of Mohawk Trail Regional School.
“We just wanted to have them recognized for their hard work and dedication during these difficult times,” said Rachel Martin, president and treasurer of the Colrain Firefighters’ Association.
Martin said junior firefighters can start as young as 14 years old. In addition to their own monthly training sessions, they can attend all training sessions that regular firefighters do.
Mattson, 18, joined the Colrain Fire Department as a junior firefighter four years ago.
“My dad’s a firefighter and so is my older brother, so I just followed in their footsteps,” Mattson said, adding that he likes to help people and that he thought it would be a cool opportunity.
“We do everything the real firefighter does, so when we do become firefighters, we know what we’re doing,” Mattson explained. “It’s just we’re limited to the calls we can go on, and what we can and can’t do on a scene.”
Mattson, a Colrain resident, said he plans to continue as a volunteer firefighter after high school. Now that Mattson is 18 years old, he will have to take classes to continue as a regular firefighter, including the Firefighter 1 class, and pass a series of tests.
“I want to thank the Fire Department (for the signs),” he said. “My dad brought me down and showed me, so that was really nice to see.”
Mary Byrne can be reached at mbyrne@recorder.com or 413-772-0261, ext. 263. Twitter: @MaryEByrne