BEVERLY — When he enrolled at the Massachusetts State Firefighting Academy two months ago, Kevin Smith was one of 69 anonymous recruits from 34 communities eager to learn their new trade.
By the time the 60-day session ended last Friday, Smith had lost his anonymity and gained a prestigious honor.
The 35-year-old Beverly firefighter was named the "outstanding recruit" during graduation ceremonies in Marlborough. The honor is given to the firefighter who scores highest on the academic and practical skills tests and also receives good reviews from the instructors.
"I was floored," Smith said. "I knew I was doing fairly well in class, but they keep the award a surprise."
Smith, who grew up in Danvers, graduated from St. Michael's College with a degree in biology and went on to own his own air duct cleaning company. But he always wanted to be a firefighter.
After he'd taken the civil service test three times, an opening finally arose in Beverly and he was sworn in as a firefighter last March. He received two weeks of in-house training and was assigned to an engine.
All Beverly firefighters also go through the Massachusetts Firefighting Academy in Stow, which provides extensive training on the basics of firefighting, as well as more advanced techniques, such as search and rescue.
"The training is excellent," Smith said. "The basics get driven into you — how to handle your equipment, how to throw up ladders, how to operate the pumps on the truck. You also learn things like how to recognize back drafts and the anatomy and chemistry of fires."
Smith, who is married with three young children, said he is looking forward to putting his newfound instruction to work in Beverly.
"I love the job," he said. "We have a real good group of guys."
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