SAUGUS – Charles Stewart had a mission that has taken him almost nine years to complete, but Thursday when Town Manager Andrew Bisignani swore in the newest firefighter, Stewart’s dream became reality.Fire Chief James Blanchard’s new favorite story is about a day nine years ago when a young college graduate walked into his office and asked him what he needed to do to become a firefighter.”I said take the civil service exam,” Blanchard said. “Then I asked him if he was a vet.” Veterans are put to the front of the civil service list so Blanchard said he suggested, as he does to anyone who asks, that he might want to consider joining the Air Force or the Coast Guard.”And if you’re an EMT (Emergency Medical Technician), that really helps,” Blanchard added.Blanchard said the man thanked him, left and he didn’t see him again until about a year ago.When Stewart left Blanchard’s office nearly a decade ago, he took the chief’s advice to heart and within the week he joined the Marines. After four years in intelligence, the 1995 Saugus High School graduate left the service and gained his EMT certification. After meeting Blanchard for the second time, he took the fire entrance exam and received a perfect score.”I was blown away,” Blanchard said. “In my whole career that is the first time I’ve ever had someone come in and say that to me that they did all that.”Stewart, who holds degrees in biology and philosophy, said he knew he wanted to be a firefighter after a stint of working construction with a handful of firefighters from Everett. After learning what he needed to do to become one, he said he simply set out to do it.Thursday, following his swearing in, Stewart said it felt great to have a dream and then see it actually come to fruition.Stewart’s new status of firefighter makes his family perhaps one of the safest in town, since his big brother is Police Sgt. Michael Stewart.Michael Stewart called his brother’s dedication to the job impressive.”I’ve got to give him credit,” Michael Stewart said while shaking his head. “I am absolutely proud of him.”Michael Stewart said he was also glad to see that his brother had a job. With budget constraints on high, there is a likelihood that the younger Stewart could find himself unemployed by July 1, but Blanchard said Bisignani is working very hard to make sure that doesn’t happen.”Andy thinks he will be able to stay but it’s not written in stone,” he said. “Every day I think we’re looking better, then another shoe drops from the State House but Andy did say this was his highest priority.”If Stewart is cut loose at the end of June, he will at least go with a few months experience under his belt.When he left the Fire Academy, he was warned that life on the real job could include a lot of down time and that he shouldn’t expect much on his first day. Stewart said that’s probably why he didn’t think it was unusual that he went on 17 runs on his first day.”He didn’t have time to eat lunch,” Blanchard joked.”It was probably good that I was so naive,” Stewart said. “I didn’t know that was a big day – I was all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed.”The swearing in ceremony also marked Stewart’s last day at the Hamilton Street station. While he has been training on Engine 3, Stewart said he would now be stationed at the Essex Street Firehouse on Engine 1, hopefully long past July.