Greenwich Firefighter Sworn In

Adam Jakubowski is a volunteer firefighter who wanted so much to become a professional that he put himself through the rigorous 16-week Connecticut Fire Academy.

Normally, when professional firefighters are hired by local departments, those departments secure placement in the Windsor training school and pay the tuition. The doesn't have to worry about that with Jakubowski who was sworn in last week as the department's newest recruit.

The 24-year-old is assigned to the GFD training division for 4 to 6 weeks of local training and orientation, before he will be assigned to one of the four shifts, according to Assistant Fire Chief Robert Kick.

Jakubowski, who lives in Stamford, is originally from the upstate town of East Putnam, where he is a member of the volunteer fire department.

At his March 12 swearing in ceremony at , fire officials said, "Adam is a unique hire as he put himself through the Connecticut Fire Academy. He took 16 weeks and completed it on his own time and to us that showed the commitment that Adam will bring to the Town of Greenwich. Secondly, we got a good idea of his work ethic by the information we were receiving from his classmates in his recruit class."

It turned out that Greenwich Deputy Fire Chief Tom Nixon’s son John Nixon was in the same recruit class. "(Nixon) said that he was a class leader and if we didn’t hire him quick another department would," officials said.

Jakubowski was an engineering major at the University of Connecticut until he attended the fire academy. Adam also has certification in firefighting 1 and 2, as a pump operator, an emergency medical technician and in hazardous material operations.

Jakubowski's hiring is the third in less than 2 months. His appointment fills the vacancy created by the retirement of firefighter Guy Fortt, who worked for the department nearly 27 years. On Jan. 30, and are training at the state fire academy.