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... Learn more about New Bedford's history.
The Mattapoisett Police Department received a gift last week that will help in its search and rescue efforts.
Matthew Vangel, high-tech network engineer and a Mattapoisett native, donated a hand-held tracking device called a Global Positioning System to the department.
The GPS is useful as a search and rescue tool, Mr. Vangel said, because of its ability to track where you were, where you are headed and where you want to go, night or day, anywhere in the world.
"I wanted to donate them to area agencies that could really use them -- agencies who do searches in the woods and find that they themselves sometimes get lost," Mr. Vangel said.
"With a device like this, day or night, anywhere in the world, you could look at what turns you had taken and how to get back."
The device can track people on land, sea or air.
And having grown up in Mattapoisett, Mr. Vangel thought the device might be helpful to the community, especially on the water.
The GPS uses satellites in space, he said
Mr. Vangel wanted to give back to the community he grew up in, he said. He described the GPS as a hobby.
"I thought it would be more fun to give them away than to sell them," he added.
He also has donated a GPS to the Dartmouth's state police and to a state search and rescue team.
The Mattapoisett Fire Department has been busy, hosting the fifth firefighters academy graduation.
Residents from Marion, Mattapoisett and Fairhaven graduated, six from the two Tri-Town communities.
The firefighter one/two class was a six-month course in which firefighters were trained to the minimum state standards.
"It saves lives and protects property," Chief Ronald Scott said of the course.
Some of the work takes place in the classroom, while some is practical, hands-on experience.
One of the later practical experiences involves doing a "live burn" at the Barnstable Fire Academy.
And Joe Dawicki, a call captain at the Fairhaven Fire Department and class instructor, explained how the live burn works.
"We start off by lighting small fires so they can see the three phases the fire goes through ... then we start lighting larger fires, first in single rooms, then multiple rooms," Mr. Dawicki said.
"By the end of the day they are fighting large blazes ... they learn how to fight fires in a hostile environment and it builds up their confidence throughout the day."
Chief Scott said temperatures inside the building can reach 1,200 degrees.
The class is mandatory for those who want to become firefighters in Fairhaven and Mattapoisett.
"We feel it is the safest way to get people on fire grounds. It's too dangerous to put anyone into a hostile environment without the right training," Mr. Dawicki said.
Graduates from Marion and Mattapoisett included: Mike Stills, Dana Collyer, Steven Richard, Scott Neuman, Trenton Garde and Paul Andrews.
Graduates received a joint certificate from the state fire academy and the community that sponsored them.
They now have the opportunity to take state and national certification tests.
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