STOW — State Fire Marshal Peter J. Ostroskey, Deputy State Fire Marshal Maribel Fournier, and the Department of Fire Services recently recognized staff members’ outstanding accomplishments at the annual Performance Recognition Program Awards.

“Even by the high standards that DFS personnel set every day, these staff members have truly gone above and beyond the call of duty,” State Fire Marshal Ostroskey said. “From stepping up to meet the needs of the agency to protecting the health and safety of our firefighters, they’ve made outstanding contributions to the Commonwealth.”

The awards recognized two individuals and two teams:

• Deputy State Fire Marshal Maribel Fournier: Deputy Fournier stepped up to take on the role of acting director of the Massachusetts Firefighting Academy at the end of 2020, when the previous director moved on.  She filled that role for more than a year, overseeing day-to-day DFS operations while also ensuring the professional delivery of critical training services to more than 13,000 firefighters at every level of their careers. As acting MFA director, she was instrumental in the modernization of the Bridgewater campus and the development of the Academy’s Structural Collapse Rescue Technician program.

• Program Coordinator Mark Chetwynd: Mr. Chetwynd worked tirelessly at the new DFS campus in Bridgewater to stand up its Crib Room and ensure that Massachusetts Firefighting Academy recruits and instructors have the equipment and support necessary to train safely and effectively.  Additionally, at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic, he took part in Personal Protective Equipment distribution at the MEMA warehouse so that the fire service and other public safety personnel would have access to PPE during their interactions with the public.

• Cancer in the Fire Service Group: Cancer is the leading cause of death in the fire service. Through the Massachusetts Firefighting Academy, the Department of Fire Services offers a variety of cancer awareness, prevention, and early detection programs for Massachusetts firefighters. Last year, the team behind this program delivered more than 100 presentations on campus, online, and at local fire departments; crisscrossed 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:
  • Norm Aubert
  • Abby Baker
  • William Barry
  • Frank Falcone
  • Steven Gaughan
  • Greg Karsner
  • Robert Ljunggren
  • Veronica Mard
  • Susan Mondi-Sykes
  • Brian Nardelli
  • Bryan O’Neil
  • Lucas Perry
  • Michael Ragucci
  • Robert Rogowski
  • Patrick Roy
  • John Spillane
  • Jason Wilson

• Technical Rescue Structural Collapse Development Team: This team developed the first Structural Collapse Rescue Technician course to be offered in Massachusetts, filling an urgent need for the Commonwealth’s fire service. Developing content that met the requirements of chapter 6 of NFPA 1006, Standard for Technical Rescue Personnel Professional Qualifications; identifying and procuring the proper equipment; and training the instructors was a three-year process. The first delivery took place in October 2022 to the unanimous acclaim of students and instructors.
  • Robert Anderson
  • Michael Caddell
  • Sean Ellis
  • Ronald Holmes
  • Scott Jensen
  • Mark McCabe
  • Marlene McCabe
  • Iain McGregor
  • Alexander Merry
  • Paul Morrison
  • David Ogilvie
  • Robert Pensivy
  • Thomas Rinoldo
  • Jason Saunders
  • William Vecchio

This year’s Performance Recognition Program Awards also featured the return of the annual DFS Chili Cook-Off. The reigning champion, Jim Dennehy of the Hazardous Materials Emergency Response Division, maintained his title with the sweet maple sausage chili that secured his victory at the last cook-off, held in 2020.

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