SAUGUS Board of Selectmen Honors - see page 6 ADVOCATE Vol. 22, No. 33 -FREEwww.advocatenews.net Published Every Friday ~ THE ADVOCATE ASKS ~ Firefighter Robert Johnson discusses being tops among last week’s state Firefighting Academy graduates Editor’s Note: For this week’s interview, we sat down with Saugus Firefighter Robert Johnson, who last week received the Richard N. Bangs Outstanding Student Award for distinguishing himself as the top graduate of the recently concluded Massachusetts Firefighting Academy. Johnson, 36, a 2001 Saugus High School (SHS) graduate, was among five Saugus firefighter recruits who recently completed the 10-week training program hosted by the state Department of Fire Services in Stow. Johnson is following in the footsteps of his father, retired Saugus Fire Department Capt. Steve Johnson, a 1973 SHS graduate who spent 33 years with the town’s fire service and called it a career in 2014. Robert Johnson is one of four children of Steve and the late Deborah Johnson. His brother, Daniel, of Saugus, is a dispatcher with Chelsea 911. He has two sisters: Sheri Burggren, of Georgetown, a nuclear medical technician, and Jenna Chesna, a stay-at-home mother who lives in Saugus. Robert Johnson’s girlfriend, Kathryn Riley, a 2000 SHS graduate, is a registered nurse at Salem Hospital. Highlights of this week’s interview follow. Q: What does it mean to be the top student of the graduating class of the Massachusetts Firefighting Academy? A: I really just wanted to do the best that I could. I felt like they gave me an opportunity to go there to learn, so I just gave it my all and tried my best for the 10 weeks. And I ended up coming on top. Q: At what point did you know you finished on top? A: They don’t tell anyone until ANGELO’S FULL "Over 40 Years of Excellence!" 1978-2019 Regular Unleaded $2.519 Mid Unleaded $2.799 Super $2.859 Diesel Fuel $2.839 KERO $4.759 Diesel $2.559 SERVICE HEATING OIL 24-Hour Burner Service Call for Current Price! (125—gallon minimum) DEF Available by Pump! Open an account and order online at: www.angelosoil.com (781) 231-3500 (781) 231-3003 367 LINCOLN AVE • SAUGUS • OPEN 7 DAYS E they announce it the day of the graduation. I knew I was kind of up there, but I wasn’t sure who it was going to be, so I was sort of surprised. Definitely. Q: So, did four or five guys know that they were finalists? A: No. You just know as you go through … you accumulate strength based on your test scores, and then you accumulate deficiency points, so I knew I was toward the front of the pack. Q: Well, how many points did you get? A: Two. Q: Two deficiency points. A: Yes, two deficiency points. Q: And what was your total score? A: You need, like, 120-someASKS | SEE PAGE 14 781-233-4446 Friday, August 16, 2019 FIRST IN HIS CLASS: Saugus Firefighter Robert Johnson, one of five recruits from the town’s fire service who graduated last week from the Massachusetts Firefighting Academy, during an interview this week at the Essex Street Fire Station. (Saugus Advocate photo by Mark E. Vogler) Slowing things down Board backs recommendation to lower Central Street speed limit to 30 mph; state approval needed By Mark E. Vogler ight speed regulations on Central Street range from 20 to 35 mph over its 2.5-mile span through town. Selectmen on Wednesday night voted to simplify matters for motorists by setting a new speed limit at 30 mph, except ~ Home of the Week ~ SAUGUS Warm & Inviting best describes this Gambrel Colonial beginning with desirable, welcoming farmers porch opening to sunny foyer, spacious living room, dining room with built-in hutch, newly remodeled kitchen boasting quartz countertops, breakfast bar, stainless steel appliances and an abundance of stylish white cabinets & a newly remodeled full bath. Second level offers 3 spacious bedrooms and full bath. Finished lower level offers family room which could be used as a fourth bedroom. Many updates include newer roof, newer heating system central air, beautiful and gleaming hardwood flooring, newer carpeting, vinyl replacement windows, security system, entertainment size deck overlooking nicely landscaped, oversized yard, detatched garage. Nicely located in desirable Lynnhurst neighborhood. You won’t be disappointed! Offered at $525,000 335 Central Street, Saugus, MA 01906 (781) 233-7300 View the interior of this home right on your smartphone. View all our listings at: CarpenitoRealEstate.com for where portions of the road are already 30 mph per hour or lower. The board’s 4-0 vote (Selectman Mark Mitchell was absent from the meeting) will need to be approved by the state Department of Transportation (MassDOT) and the state Registry of Motor Vehicles. “I think it’s something that the police can enforce and something in the best interests of our citizens,” Selectman Scott Brazis said. Brazis also defended actions taken by selectmen in response to citizen concerns over the safety of pedestrians. He maintained that everything was done “thoroughly” and “the proper way.” Central Street was one of several major town roads that received approval of selectmen earlier this year to have their speed limits lower to 25 mph. But that vote never became official. The MassDOT later advised the town that their requests to reduce the speed limit to 25 mph on Lincoln Avenue, Main Street and Essex Street weren’t properly filed and needed to be supported by documentation and data supporting the reducSLOWING | SEE PAGE 4 Prices subject to change FLEET
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