STOW — State Fire Marshal Peter J. Ostroskey, Deputy State Fire Marshal Maribel Fournier and the Department of Fire Services recently recognized employee excellence at the annual Performance Recognition Program Awards.
“Even with the high demands that DFS employees place on them every day, these employees really went above and beyond the call of duty,” said State Fire Marshal Ostroskey. “From meeting the needs of the agency to protecting the health and safety of our firefighters, they have made outstanding contributions to the Commonwealth.”
The awards recognized two individuals and two teams:
- Deputy State Fire Marshal Maribel Fournier: Deputy Fournier assumed the role of acting director of the Massachusetts Firefighting Academy in late 2020 when the previous director changed. She held this role for more than a year, overseeing day-to-day DFS operations while ensuring the professional delivery of critical training services to more than 13,000 firefighters at all career levels. As acting MFA director, she was instrumental in the modernization of the Bridgewater campus and the development of the Academy’s building collapse rescue technician program.
- Program Coordinator Mark Chetwynd: Mr. Chetwynd worked tirelessly at the new DFS Bridgewater campus to set up the manger room and ensure that Massachusetts Firefighting Academy recruits and instructors have the equipment and support needed for safe and effective training. Additionally, at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, he participated in the distribution of personal protective equipment at the MEMA warehouse so that firefighters and other public safety workers have access to PPE in their interactions with the public.
- Cancer in the fire department: Cancer is the leading cause of death in firefighters. Through the Massachusetts Firefighting Academy, the Department of Fire Services offers a variety of cancer awareness, prevention, and early detection programs for Massachusetts firefighters. Over the past year, the team behind this program has made more than 100 presentations on campus, online and at local fire departments; criss-crossed the state with volunteer dermatologists to screen more than 1,000 firefighters for skin cancer; and supported ongoing programs that allow eligible firefighters to receive free chest CT scans and PSA blood tests. These team members are:
- Norman Aubert
- Abby Baker
- William Barri
- Frank Falke
- Steven Gaugan
- Gregory Karsner
- Robert Ljunggren
- Veronica Mard
- Susan Mondi-Sykes
- Brian Nardelli
- Bryan O’Neil
- Luke Perry
- Michael Ragucci
- Robert Rogowski
- Patrick Roy
- John Spillane
- Jason Wilson
- Structural Collapse Technical Rescue Team: This team developed the first building burglary rescue technician course to be offered in Massachusetts to fill an urgent need for the Commonwealth Fire Department. Development of content that meets the requirements of Chapter 6 of the NFPA 1006, Standard for Professional Qualifications of Technical Rescue Personnel; identifying and sourcing the right equipment; and the training of the instructors was a three-year process. The first delivery took place in October 2022 with the unanimous approval of students and teachers.
- Robert Anderson
- Michael Caddell
- SeanEllis
- Ronald Holmes
- Scott Jensen
- Mark McCabe
- Marlene McCabe
- Ian McGregor
- Alexander Happy
- Paul Morrison
- David Ogilvie
- Robert Pensivy
- Thomas Rinaldo
- Jason Saunders
- William Vecchio
This year’s Performance Recognition Program Awards also saw the return of the annual DFS Chili Cook-Off. Reigning champion, Hazardous Materials Emergency Response Division’s Jim Dennehy, maintained his title with the sweet maple sausage chili that secured his win at the final cook-off of 2020.
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