Great Barrington Names Newest Certified Firefighter

08:14AM / Thursday, February 24, 2022Print Story | Email Story

GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. — Elizabeth Pevzner has completed the ProBoard Firefighter Certification program, the final step in completing a probationary period as a firefighter with the Great Barrington Fire Department.

Firefighter Pevzner completed classroom and practical fire training at the Litchfield County Regional Fire School in Torrington Conn., along with 15 other students from around the region. Established in 1972, the Pro Board is the original fire service system for the accreditation of agencies that certify firefighters.

Pevzner, 18, is a Great Barrington resident and graduate of Monument Mountain Regional High School. She is the newest generation in a family of firefighters, following in the footsteps of her grandfather, mother, and father Matt, who is still active in the department.

"When she told me she wanted to do an internship with the fire department I told her that if she did it to give it 100 percent because the job requires lots of dedication and drive which I knew she had. With the fact that her grandfather was with the department along with her mother, I knew it was in her blood," Matt said said. "I love running calls together, making it a competition to see who can get out of the house first. The fact that she is wearing a shield that I once wore makes me beyond proud."

Pevzner is pursuing a nursing degree at Berkshire Community College, and she is also taking the EMT training class with Southern Berkshire Ambulance.

She said she wanted to get involved in public service and began as an intern at the GBFD in 2019.

"After growing up around the Fire Department I decided to sign up for an internship that actually lasted two years during high school," she said. "I figured it would be great to join and help my community. I have always heard that a fire department is like a second family that brings a sense of pride in being able to help someone in need. My short time here has definitely shown me just how true that is."

Chief Burger said he is excited for Pevzner's advancement within the department.

"This growth for our department is a breath of fresh air as we seek interest from the younger generation wanting to serve their community," he said. "Elizabeth is self-motivated, has excelled through each step, and is a welcome addition to the firehouse and fire ground."

The Great Barrington Fire Department is always looking for new firefighters. Anyone with an interest, who lives or works in Great Barrington, is encouraged to learn more by calling (413) 528-0788, or send a message on Facebook, or email Chief Burger at cburger@townofgb.org.

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Lee Wants Bioremediation in Housatonic River Vernal Pool Study

05:24AM / Thursday, September 03, 2026

LEE, Mass. — The town has asked the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and General Electric to include PCB bioremediation in its vernal pool study on the Housatonic River.

Lee officials are urging the EPA to require GE to add a bioremediation treatment arm to the vernal-pool study or provide the public with a clear explanation for why such testing is being excluded.

"This is exactly the kind of question EPA and GE should be asking before final remedy decisions are locked in," Select Board Chair Bob Jones said in a statement released to the press. "The town is not asking to slow the cleanup. We are asking EPA and GE to make the cleanup smarter, less destructive, and more protective over the long term."

An open house was held in Pittsfield earlier this summer for the Vernal Pool Pilot Study on Reach 5A of the Housatonic River, a five-mile stretch between the river's confluence and Lenox border.

EPA has required GE to conduct a Vernal Pool Pilot Study as part of the Housatonic River Rest of River remediation, comparing excavation and restoration with activated-carbon-based treatments, including a product called SediMite and powdered activated carbon, the town said.

Ten vernal pools will be cleaned of polychlorinated biphenyls in total, five with excavation and five with active carbon, and seven additional vernal pools will be monitored as controls. Construction will be complete around October, but the pools will be left to their natural processes and monitored with surveys and sampling for three years.

The Lee PCB Advisory Committee wrote a letter calling for the 21st-century approach it said could reduce long-term toxicity, avoid unnecessary destruction of sensitive habitats, and improve the effectiveness of the cleanup.

It states that Lee supports the study's purpose and agrees that EPA and GE must understand how cleanup activities affect sensitive vernal-pool ecosystems.

"The current pilot includes 10 treatment pools and seven control pools, while local officials understand that roughly 100 vernal pools may occur in the broader remediation corridor," the Aug. 27 letter reads.

"That makes the pilot study consequential: the methods tested now could shape how many sensitive wetlands are excavated, reconstructed, treated, or left with PCBs managed in place."

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