County Fire Academy graduates 81 volunteers FREEHOLD - The Monmouth County Fire Academy graduated 81 volunteers on May 31 from Firefighter I class No. 70 and No. 71 and Firefighter II class No. 1. Twenty-three Firefighter II graduates became the first advanced firefighter class to graduate from the Monmouth County Fire Academy after completing course work and more than 100 hours of training in fire rescue and extinguishment, which included incident command, specialized search and rescue, communication, and safety procedures. The 58 Firefighter I graduates also attended weekend classes and completed more than 130 hours of course work. They received training in rescue, fire extinguishment, hazardous materials response, cardio-pulmonary resuscitation, electrical safety and care of hoses and other equipment. Freeholder Lillian G. Burry, who spoke at the graduation, commended the new and advancing firefighters for their dedication and willingness to serve. "Firefighters, like any emergency responder, must be available all hours of the day and night. They are at times, confronted with life and death situations and their ability to react properly and safely can be attributed to the training program they have just completed at the Monmouth County Fire Academy," Burry said. Each firefighter was awarded a certificate of course completion by Burry and training officer William Itinger. The following are local Firefighter I graduates from class No. 70: Sebastian J. Bianchi of Matawan and Eric A. Halle of Cliffwood Beach. The following are local Firefighter I graduates from class No. 71: Mark T. Bennett of Holmdel, Thomas J. Butler of Holmdel, Jonathon L. Carter of Matawan, Anthony Castro of Matawan, Robert William Eyers of Holmdel, Vincent J. Ferrante Jr. of Matawan, Joey J. Laguna of Keansburg, Andres J. Paganucci of Holmdel, and Brian M. Spitzfaden of Keansburg. The following are local Firefighter II graduates from class No. 170: Richard W. Leswing III of Keyport, Alonzo Meachem IV of West Keansburg, Robert J. Woodhead Jr. of Union Beach, Douglas Ziemba Jr. of Holmdel, Douglas Ziemba Sr. of Holmdel.