HISTORY

The Moon Island Training Academy (MITA) was opened on November 3, 1960. Moon Island is located in southern end of Boston Harbor and is connected to the Squantum section of the city of Quincy by a two-lane causeway.

At this facility, new recruits are trained firefighting techniques, operations and safety during the training cycle. Trainees learn to drive fire apparatus at the MITA as well.

Periodically, active firefighters return to Moon Island for refresher training in established techniques and to be trained on new types of equipment.

Facilities at the MITA include a firehouse, classrooms and the "smoke-house", a building designed to allow 'active-burns' to be ignited, creating a smoke-filled building, so as to simulate a real fire scene. Trainees learn firefighting techniques while operating in a zero-visibility environment.

A new $4.6 million dollar renovation and new construction project was completed in July, 2008. [From the BFD website] The state-of-the-art facility includes sixteen (16) live burn rooms, three separate and distinct elevator training simulators, and adjustable sensory deprivation maze and various roof hatches. The building provides the opportunity to conduct multiple ladder and rope-work instruction, including pompier ladder training and rappelling exercises. The project included a complete restoration of the drill yard, concrete burn pad (to simulate car fires) and a structural pad to accommodate a new flashover simulator.