AMHERST — Five University of Massachusetts students who are part of the Amherst Fire Department’s student force will be temporary, full-time firefighters for the town through the end of June.
Though the municipal department has seen a reduced call volume due to most college and university students leaving campuses for the semester, and the state’s stay-at-home advisories, Amherst Fire Chief Walter “Tim” Nelson said Wednesday that he wanted to make sure 42 line firefighters are available to handle responses to incidents.
“Giving the fact that we’re looking at stresses coming to bear due to the coronavirus, it’s prudent to bring on people who already know the system,” Nelson said.
The department has been depleted by one resignation and another four firefighters being on long-term medical leave.
Nelson said the student firefighters are all EMTs and are trained by full-time firefighters, meaning that after a week of additional training they will be ready to be on ambulances and fire engines responding to emergencies.
They will be assigned to one of the four full-time shifts and will work the same schedule as other permanent firefighters, with 24 hours on, two days off, another 24 hours on, and then five days off.
The five students hired are Dan Averill, Briana Baker, Ethan Gorman, AnnMarie Marquis and John Miller. Nelson said each will be paid the same rate as an entry-level firefighter.
The student firefighter program, which is housed at the North Station on East Pleasant Street, is a collaboration between the university and town that dates back to 1953. Nelson said student firefighters who stay in Amherst beyond the academic year have usually become part of the call force during the summer.
During the academic year the student force has about 30 members, six of whom live in the North Station in bunkrooms. Nine additional student firefighters remaining in Amherst to finish the semester have already been made part of the call force.
“We are proud of our students’ readiness to be a part of the student force year after year, and we congratulate these five for getting full-time positions on the force,” Maryanne Steele, assistant director of Campus Safety and Fire Prevention for the UMass Department of Environmental Health and Safety, said in a statement.
Scott Merzbach can be reached at smerzbach@gazettenet.com.
