Sparks flew during a graduation ceremony intended to celebrate the successful completion of an Islandwide firefighter training course this week, after an Island fire chief accused the county’s fire training council of inflicting undue bias on a Brazilian candidate.
The event, which took place in the cafeteria at the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School on Tuesday, was to acknowledge the accomplishments of 18 candidates’ completion of Firefighter I/II certifications.
The Firefighter I/II curriculum, set up by the Massachusetts Fire Academy that aligns with the national standard for accreditation, consists of 145 hours of instruction in the classroom and developing practical skills, not including time spent studying, reading, practicing.
On Tuesday, 18 candidates—eight of them women—received their certificates, after completing the five month course.
Those who obtain the accreditation must have completed the required classes and pass a number of tests, including a final written exam.
Presented by the Dukes County Fire Training Council —made up of officers, chiefs, and deputy chiefs around the Island, operating under the direction of the Dukes County Fire Chiefs Association— students were awarded official certifications handed out by various fire department representatives. One student did not.
Chilmark Fire Department Capt. Vitor Silva was rejected from receiving his certification with the rest of the 2023 class, after he was unable to pass and complete an English language final exam.
According to participants and people in attendance, following the awards, Chilmark Fire Chief Jeremy Bradshaw, who was not listed on the event’s program, took to the podium to make his own announcement, accosting the council’s leadership and instructional support staff for what he said was discrimination against Silva, before awarding the captain an unofficial, symbolic certificate, and praising him for his achievements within and commitment to the Chilmark Fire Department.
After the ceremony, Bradshaw told The Times that Silva was denied the necessary accommodations needed to complete the written tests in his native language of Portuguese, despite numerous requests.
Neither the council nor department leadership spoke to the accusations Tuesday, and rather, continued on to adjournment of the event, following Bradshaw’s abrupt and emotional exit.
But in later calls with The Times, other Vineyard chiefs addressed the outburst, repudiating Bradshaw’s allegations that the council had acted with any prejudice or ulterior motives.
Similarly, they denied experiencing partiality in their respective departments, and said that accommodations are readily available for students that need extra assistance during the months-long course; it is the student’s responsibility to advocate for themselves if they are in need of any aid.
Further, they expressed displeasure with Bradshaw’s behavior at the ceremony, which was to highlight the achievements of a number of other students.
“The Dukes County Fire Chiefs are disappointed in the actions of Chief Jeremy Bradshaw at an event meant to celebrate accomplishments of the students,” Oak Bluffs Fire Chief Nelson Wirtz told The Times Wednesday.
Tisbury Fire Chief Greg Leland echoed Wirtz’ statement, adding he’d wished Bradshaw would have engaged with the other Island’s chiefs before the event.
“We’re trying to put together a professional program that best benefits the Island and suits the community,” Leland said, adding that that includes the town’s mutual aid agreements which heavily rely on the sound training of firefighters Islandwide.
He said as with any educational program, standards for the county’s firefighters are set by all the towns, and is reviewed and supported by the Island’s fire chiefs.
Leland also vehemently denied any unfair treatment or bias, sharing that he’s had a Tisbury candidate fail to pass the exam for similar reasons, but after obtaining the necessary accommodations was able to complete the course the following year.
In a message to The Times, Silva referred all questions to Chief Bradshaw.
In a call with The Times Friday, Bradshaw called the situation “disheartening,” but made no apologies for his words Tuesday.
He argued that bilingual tests were not made available to Silva — what he says is the sole reason for him being rejected the accreditation.
Silva is “one of the most valuable firefighters in Chilmark,” he said, adding that his captain has exceeded expectations regarding all practical skills of the curriculum.
According to Bradshaw, the fire training program was run “more administratively.”
“They put people through who can test well,” he said, but are maybe not as skilled “tactically.”
Bradshaw shared it was hard to watch his captain, who was present Tuesday with his wife and daughter, be excluded from the award ceremony.
“It was really sad to see how people get treated,” he said, adding that the council’s decision not to award Silva the accreditation along with his peers, was “an error of judgment.”
Describing Silva as a hardworking family man, who heads the town’s jetski crew and is an active participant in his community, Bradshaw said the department is fortunate to have him..
He said there are plans for a joint meeting with the Island’s fire leadership next week to discuss how to move forward.
Bradshaw also said he’s currently working with Silva to challenge the state’s written exam to include Portuguese options.
“These tests are hard enough to pass with English being your first language,” Bradshaw said. “We can’t discourage these kids, especially volunteers. . . Whatever they give us, we’ve got to be thankful. ”
Failed to mentioned that were other Portuguese speaking graduates
Absolutely irrelevant to the case in point. Why wasn’t CAPTAIN SILVA provided with the exam in Portuguese as requested? Just answer that question and stick to the subject. If you can’t answer that question with objectively factual information, such as there was a deadline for such requests for example, or if you’re just too much of a coward to address the question directly, with all due respect, nobody cares.
Most people who speak Portuguese can not pass this test.
It does mean that they are incompetent firefighters.
Kudos for Chief Bradshaw for speaking up in support of Capt. Silva.
Brazilian immigrants are hard workers, and a major source of important work on the Island. Discrimination based on origin and language should be unacceptable to my fellow islanders.
Exactly
Shout out for Jeremy Bradshaw. Though it’s unfortunate that attention was diverted from a celebration of accomplished individuals, how else but in a public forum could an important issue have been brought to public light? Not through closed door meetings with peers.
Thank you Chief Bradshaw.
The island needs every fireman we can get and it is too bad. Focus has to be in this direction. It would be much better if there could be focus on a regional fire department instead of each town, having their own. the cost of having their own fire departments with all the new regulations, it’s going to be a real eye-opener for the various towns once they start being implemented. regionalization of the schools the police force and other institutions are desperately needed. Let’s see if the fire departments can pave for the way.
Should non citizens be allowed to be firefighters?
We need all we can get!!!
We are desperate…
All of our police and fire should regionalized.
The Cape and Islands Public Safety Force.
The Grand Poohbah to be appointed by the Governor, if a Republican.
Chief Bradshaw….you’re a stand up man and leader. The kind of leader our community and world needs.
What about the handful of other graduates who aren’t solely English speakers? How were they able to pass, but yet a Fire Chief on the island claims racism or prejudice without any evidence? Did anyone talk about his tumultuous behavior outside of the venue? Where he had to be physically restrained by other island Fire Officers?
Some firefighters speak better English than others.
When putting out a fire is the ability to speak English important?
I really hope all facts come out in the end. The island is lucky to have the training here on the island and our instructors work hard and so do the students. There is so much more to this story. It’s just a shame to bash our trainers. Of course we need all the volunteer firefighters we can get. Remember the word volunteers. It’s the law that says we need this training but no one is kicked off for not passing. Training saves lives. We should be thanking the Trying council not bashing them. Come on. You can’t tell me this student passed everything else. Truth will come out. But no one should be treated with disrespect. Not a student nor the instructors. Shout out to all who passed and to all who didn’t pass. It’s not easy class.
It’s just a shame to bash people for their English skills.
Wrong venue for your outburst chief. Congratulations to the graduates. If you have an issue with the training process then you should have brought it up prior to the ceremony. That’s how a real leader behaves.
It was very much the correct venue to discuss English language skills.
For those questioning Chief Bradshaw, you trust home to lead people into a burning building and save those whose lives are on the line. What more do you need!!
Perhaps some of us believe that a town leader who chose to react in a myopic, emotional manner should not be trusted with such a great responsibility. Why has no documentation been shown that proves any accommodation was requested when others received it without an issue? His outburst demeans the name of civil service in any setting, and was entirely inappropriate during what should have been the celebration these graduates so deserve for their hard work and dedication. Congratulations and thank you to our incredible first responders who support the health and life of this community!
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