SPRINGFIELD, MA (WGGB/WSHM) - Friday marked a big day for nearly two dozen local firefighter recruits as they graduated from the state fire academy and had their ceremony in Springfield.

Those recruits came from a whole variety of towns in the Bay State. Many hailed from western Massachusetts - including Agawam, Chicopee, East Longmeadow, Greenfield, Holyoke, Southampton, Southwick, and Westfield - but others came out from as far east as Marblehead.

Western Mass News caught up with a couple recruits to find out what made them want to take the oath on Friday. “I grew up in a small town and had a big family and I was kind of raised just to always give back to the community, so I actually started volunteering at 15 and then I kind of got hooked from there,” said William Kipp with the Southborough Fire Department.

Jacob Murphy with the Athol Fire Department added, “I used to work in Athol at a restaurant and one day, one of the firefighters came in and was talking to me about just the relationships you make and starting to work with that same guy.”

These graduates will now be getting right to work to make sure their communities are safe during this holiday season.

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