New East Haven Firefighters Welcomed at Holiday Party

's three new recruits were officially welcomed into the fold this morning at the department's annual holiday breakfast at the along North High Street.

The new firefighter recruits — Robert Black of Milford, Casey Blake of Wallingford and Gordon Stewart of Milford — graduated from the Connecticut Fire Academy yesterday after officially completing their 14-week residential based training program.

East Haven was doubly represented at yesterday's event at the Connecticut Police Academy in Meriden, as East Haven Fire Department Chief Douglas Jackson at the commencement, which honored 46 new firefighters, representing 24 fire departments from across the state. 

Black, Blake and Stewart will officially be sworn in as new firefighters at the East Haven Fire Commission's next regularly scheduled meeting next month.

When asked how it felt to graduate and become new firefighters, Stewart told East Haven Patch it was "awesome."

All three men then laughed and smiled.

"Yep, I think that that about covers it," Blake said.