Father & Son Tackle Fire Academy Together

“Giansanti and Giansanti!” New Haven Fire Academy Assistant Drillmaster Antonio Almodovar called out. ​“The both of you. Front and center.”

Almodovar was calling two members of the New Haven Fire Department’s newest recruit class — who know each other well.

The Giansantis are father and son, in their first week of training to become city firefighters.

When Eric Giansanti learned that his son, Nicholas, was going to take the test for the New Haven Fire Academy, he decided to take it too. Little did either of them know, but they would end up being classmates.

“It was just luck,” Eric said.

The men are members of the latest recruit class to be seated by the New Haven Fire Department, and, officials believe, probably the first father and son to go through the academy together. The class is 41 recruits strong, 35 of which are hoping to become New Haven firefighters. The remaining six will go to stations in West Haven upon completion of the academy.

The Giansanti men will be New Haven firefighters once they complete the academy class, which is expected to last about 18 weeks, though it could be slightly shorter for them because they both already have emergency medical technician certifications.

Nicholas, 23, had a seat in this current class of recruits. A person ahead of his dad had secured a seat for this class, which will be the last for this year. When that person declined to take the seat, Eric, 50, got a call to join the class.

While being in the recruit class together might have been luck, firefighting is family business. ​“It’s all my father’s fault,” Eric said.

Eric’s father, James, had been a firefighter since 1968, Eric and his older brother, James Jr., worked for the New Britain Fire Department together. Eric, who started out in fire and rescue at age 16 in Newington, was a firefighter in New Britain for 22 years before he retired. That makes Nicholas, who got the firefighting bug early, a third-generation firefighter.

James Sr. won’t get to see his grandson join the profession that has been such a big part of his family’s life. He passed away at age 76 in April. ​“He would have been so proud,” Eric said.

Nicholas said he spent a lot of time as a kid at his dad’s firehouse in New Britain. ​“I would visit him for dinner,” he said. ​“I guess I got used to it.” He also got used to hearing his dad’s stories about being a firefighter, and he has plenty.

Eric said one of his favorite stories actually involves his brother, with whom he often worked the same shift. He was the driver for the ladder truck; his brother was the driver for the rescue truck. They often worked fire calls as a team, and it was a running joke between the two about who would perform a duty first.

“This one particular time, we were told by the deputy chief to put a ladder up to the window because there was possibly a child up there,” Eric said. I asked my brother, ​‘Do you want to go first?’”

His brother took the offer to go first, and then asked if he had a tool. Eric did, and he gave it to his brother. His brother next asked if he had a pair of gloves.

“He had forgot his gloves,” Eric said with a chuckle. ​“Needless to say that was the last time I let him go first.”

Nicholas is hoping that he and his dad will have similar stories to share once they complete the academy and become New Haven firefighters.

“I think this is going to bring us a lot closer,” Nicholas said. ​“I’m also curious to see how he acts during an actual fire.”

Eric is already counting on Nicholas to help keep him motivated when it comes to studying and physical training.

Monday was Day 2 of the academy. Eric had one word to describe how he was feeling after doing physical training for the first time in several years: old.

“I did OK,” he said. ​“Not as good as I had hoped, but I will definitely get better.”

Eric is also counting on his son to be his study buddy. ​“A lot of the terminology has changed quite a bit” said Eric, who first attended fire training in 1987.

“I will help out if he needs it,” Nicholas, who also is member of the Army National Guard, said. ​“It feels good to be able to return the favor.”

Nicholas said if it weren’t for his dad, he probably wouldn’t have gone into the military or pursued becoming a firefighter. ​“He gave me a lot of guidance on how I should prepare myself to do a job,” he said. ​“If I could live my whole life again, I would definitely want to have him as my father.”

Eric said as a kid, Nicholas was ​“always very eager, always a very hard worker, and always very respectful,” and though he might have influenced some of his life decisions, the choices that his son has made have been his own.

“He’s his own man,” Eric said.

Eric said he is looking forward to the day that they graduate from the academy.

“For me the proudest day of my life was when he was born,” he said, tearing up a little. ​“My dream is to pin his badge on his chest. I’m hoping that they will allow me to do that. If they do it alphabetically, I’ll go first and then turn right around and pin him.”