Military veterans among 43 graduates from Connecticut Fire Academy

BLOOMFIELD, Conn. (WTNH) — Surrounded by family, friends and other first responders, 43 Connecticut Fire Academy graduates were honored as they made the transition into their new careers as firefighters Friday in Bloomfield. 

Each of the graduates, part of Class 76, will be heading to 18 municipal fire departments, including Danbury, East Hartford, Greenwich, Mansfield, Meriden, Middletown and more.

Six of the recruits are part of Hero to Hero, a program that helps members of the military transition into careers as first responders.

Across the nation, fire and police departments are struggling to fill vacancies. Every year, 200,000 service members from all branches of the U.S. military leave active duty. 

Hero to Hero seeks to make the transition as smooth as possible. 

“As my time in the Navy was coming to a close, I didn’t know what I wanted to do,” Casey Berryman said. “I had no family in the fire service or EMS or anything like that. I was kind of lost. But then I found Hero to Hero.”

Hero to Hero selects participants, gets them into the academy, and into a fire service job. Founded by Chris Shea, a North Haven firefighter and former Navy SEAL, and his wife Anita, Hero to Hero has helped more than 110 veterans all over the country since its inception in 2020.

“Getting out, there can be a lot of uncertainties,” Shea said. “One of the biggest things we do is mentor them.”

 The program also makes sure tuition, insurance, and salaries for the recruits are covered.

“A lot of veterans do struggle,” Liam Chrzanowski, a Marine who will go to work in Westport after graduation, said. “For people who don’t have Hero to Hero it’s pretty difficult. You go through so many interviews with so many departments. This helps you bypass a lot of stuff.”