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In full transparency, the following is a press release submitted to SOURCE media.

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STOW – More than three dozen fire service leaders from across Massachusetts graduated Friday, January 27, from the 28th class of the Massachusetts Firefighting Academy’s Chief Fire Officer Management Training Program.

The four-month program for new chief officers and chief officer candidates is delivered jointly by the Massachusetts Firefighting Academy and the University of Massachusetts Edward J. Collins Jr. Center for Public Management.

Through classroom instruction and out-of-class assignments, the course delivers intensive training in the non-fire suppression aspects of managing a municipal fire department.

“The Chief Fire Officer program is a tremendous opportunity for new chiefs and rising officers,” said State Fire Marshal Peter J. Ostroskey, who graduated from the program in 2002. “The rigorous instruction in such a wide variety of topics will help these graduates provide the leadership that their departments and communities deserve. Completing the program is a major accomplishment and I want to congratulate them on their initiative and dedication to professional development.”

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The Chief Fire Officer Management Training Program covers a spectrum of topics considered essential for effective public sector management. It includes human resource management, ethics, executive leadership, governmental and organization structures, information management, customer-focused strategic planning, legal issues, budgets and public finance, community awareness, and labor relations. The curriculum helps fire officers improve their ability to lead and manage personnel, understand employees’ needs and problems, communicate effectively to a variety of audiences, and leverage inter-agency cooperation.  The Massachusetts Firefighting Academy, a division of the Department of Fire Services, offers this program tuition-free.

The 2022-2023 graduating class was drawn the fire departments of Acushnet, Barnstable, Belmont, Billerica, Bridgewater, Chelsea, Easthampton, Everett, Fitchburg, Framingham, Grafton, Granby, Halifax, Hanover, Holyoke, Hyannis, Ipswich, Lakeville, Maynard, Medway, Methuen, New Bedford, Newton, North Andover, North Attleboro, Oakham, Palmer, Pelham, Russell, Seekonk, Sturbridge, Tewksbury, Three Rivers, Truro, West Brookfield, Westport, and Worcester, where its members serve as chiefs, deputy chiefs, and captains.

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Graduates:

Chief Michael Dutcher                        Framingham Fire Department

Deputy Chief Daniel Baldwin              Westport Fire Department

Chief Christopher Beal                       Barnstable Fire Department

Deputy Chief Kevin Benson                Easthampton Fire Department

Chief William Bernat                           Palmer Fire Department

Deputy Chief Michael Caddell            Newton Fire Department

Chief Christopher Coleman                North Attleboro Fire Department

Chief Timothy Collins                          Truro Fire Department

Captain Jeffrey Cuozzo                      Halifax Fire Department

Chief David DeStefano                       Belmont Fire Department

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Chief Thomas Farland                        Acushnet Fire & EMS Department

Deputy Chief Michael Fasolino           Medway Fire Department

Deputy Chief Frederick Freeman       Hanover Fire Department

Deputy Chief Paul Guttadauro           Tewksbury Fire Department

Chief Timothy Howe                           Oakham Fire Department

Chief John Kadlewicz                         Holyoke Fire Department

Deputy Chief Stephen Kennedy         Billerica Fire Department

Chief Richard Lapierre                        West Brookfield Fire Department

Captain Angela Lawless                     Maynard Fire Department

Deputy Chief Sabato LoRusso           Everett Fire Department

Chief Sandra Lowery                          Seekonk Fire Department

Deputy Chief David Martell                 Sturbridge Fire Department

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Chief Eric Mathieu                              Grafton Fire Department

Deputy Chief Edward McGarry          Chelsea Fire Department

Deputy Chief Brian Medeiros             New Bedford Fire Department

Chief Dennis Nazzaro                         Pelham Fire Department

Chief Michael O’Brien                         Lakeville Fire Department

Chief Michael O’Neill                          Granby Fire Department

Deputy Chief Lee Prentiss                  Ipswich Fire Department

Chief Edward Renauld                        Russell Fire Department

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Deputy Chief Adam Roche                 Worcester Fire Department

Deputy Chief Graham Rowe              North Andover Fire Department

Deputy Chief John Schlatz                 Bridgewater Fire Department

Deputy Chief Mark Storie                   Hyannis Fire Department

Chief Dante Suarez                            Fitchburg Fire Department

Deputy Chief David Toto                    Methuen Fire Department

Chief Scott Turner                              Three Rivers Fire Department

By editor

Susan Petroni is the former editor for SOURCE. She is the founder of the former news site, which as of May 1, 2023, is now a self-publishing community bulletin board. The website no longer has a journalist but a webmaster.