Twelve new firefighters on Thursday joined the ranks of the more 100 in Wallingford who are members of the town's three volunteer departments.

 The ceremony at the Yalesville Volunteer Fire Department station on Hope Hill Road was held to mark the completion of two months of classroom and field training that earned the dozen new members Firefighter One status.

 "It was very intense," said David Poach, one of the veteran volunteers who led the training. "We normally do this over three or four months time."

 Among the 12 new volunteers who completed the latest Firefighter One training program was Billy White. The 19-year-old, who will serve as a firefighter with the North Farms Volunteer Fire Department, said he is not intimidated by the prospect of possibly being faced with life-or-death situations.

 "I'm kinda used to it because my mother is a paramedic," White said. "It's a good feeling to know that you have the training that can save someone's life."

 Poach has been a volunteer firefighter for 13 years, following in the footsteps of his father and great-grandfather. Both men started as volunteer firefighters and later became career firefighter.

The number of new volunteer firefighters that Wallingford attracts varies from year to year, Poach said. In recent years, he said as many as 30 people a year have taken the Firefighter One course.

 Call (203)294-2730 if you are interested in becoming a volunteer firefighter in Wallingford.
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