Medway Deputy Chief Completes Program

Dozens of fire service leaders from across Massachusetts graduated today from the 31st class of the Massachusetts Firefighting Academy’s Chief Fire Officer Management Training Program, including Medway Fire Department Deputy Chief Paul Molla, according to State Fire Marshal Jon M. Davine said.

The four-month program for new chief officers and chief officer candidates is delivered jointly by the Massachusetts Firefighting Academy and the Edward J. Collins Jr. Center for Public Management at UMass Boston. Through intensive classroom instruction, challenging out-of-class assignments, and student presentations, the course delivers multifaceted training in the managerial aspects of leading a municipal fire department.

“The Chief Fire Officer program is a tremendous opportunity for new chiefs and rising officers,” said State Fire Marshal Jon M. Davine, who graduated from the program in 2016. “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 all of them on their initiative and dedication to professional development.”

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, media relations, 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.

This year’s graduates, in addition to Molla, were:

Ashburnham Fire Department Deputy Chief Corey Leary

Berkley Fire Department Chief Jason Perry

Blackstone Fire Department Chief Kevin Roy

Boxborough Fire Department Chief John Kivlan

Brewster Fire Department Deputy Chief Jeffrey Sivert

Centerville-Osterville-Marstons

Mills Fire Department Deputy Chief Michael Rogers

Charlton Fire Department Chief Robbie Barton

Chicopee Fire Department Deputy Chief Matthew Cross

Devens Fire Department Deputy Chief Timothy Shea

East Bridgewater Fire Department Chief John Dzialo

East Longmeadow Fire Department Deputy Chief Edward Linehan

Falmouth Fire Department Deputy Chief Scott Thrasher

Hamilton Fire Department Deputy Chief Daniel Sullivan

Hatfield Fire Department Chief Robert Flaherty

Haverhill Fire Department Deputy Chief Justin Borden

Haverhill Fire Department Chief Christopher Cesati

Hopkinton Fire Department Deputy Chief Scott Jurasek

Lawrence Fire Department Chief Patrick Delaney

Longmeadow Fire Department Deputy Chief Andrew Markt

Lynn Fire Department District Chief Thomas Hines

Mashpee Fire Department Deputy Chief Brenden Ramsey

Massport Fire-Rescue Assistant Chief Paul Ingeno

Mendon Fire Department Deputy Chief Peter Ostroskey

Millville Fire Department Deputy Chief James Foster

Montague Fire Department Chief Luke Hartnett

Natick Fire Department Assistant Chief Christopher Hampton

North Attleboro Fire Department Assistant Chief George McKinnon

Northborough Fire Department Deputy Chief Neal Aspesi

Oak Bluffs Fire Department Chief Stephen Foster

Pembroke Fire Department Deputy Chief James Shea

Plainville Fire Department Deputy Chief Daniel Moore

Provincetown Fire Department Deputy Chief Othaine Rance

Reading Fire Department Assistant Chief John Keough

Scituate Fire Department Deputy Chief Patrick Reilly

Sharon Fire Department Deputy Chief Daniel Greenfield

Somerset Fire Department Acting/Interim Chief Robert Durette

Walpole Fire Department Deputy Chief Allen Hover

Wellfleet Fire Department Deputy Chief Shawn Clark

Wendell Fire Department Chief Matthew O'Donnell

Westfield Fire Department Deputy Chief Christopher King

Westford Fire Department Chief Michael Denehy

Wrentham Fire Department Deputy Chief Patrick McMorrow

Video of the ceremony will be posted to the Department of Fire Services’ YouTube channel.

The MFA provides recruit and in-service training at three separate campuses for Massachusetts firefighters and delivers courses to upward of 13,000 students at every level of the fire service each year.