New fire chief now on board
Published on December 3rd, 1997
STONEHAM MA. - When Stoneham Town Administrator Jeffrey Nutting selected Norton Deputy Fire Chief Lawrence Lamey to become this town's next fire chief he was looking for someone who would not be afraid to make changes in the department.
Although he's been on the job less than a week, Lamey already has mapped out a plan to make the department more efficient, better trained and more community involved.
"He has the experience required to lead this department and the ability to make changes to update the Fire Department," said Nutting. "I believe he has the talents to work with management and employees to make this happen."
Lamey agrees that one of his stronger suits is the ability to "bring people together and developing a consensus among individuals."
"I am looking forward to working with the firefighters and members of the community to enhance our Fire Department which in turn will improve the town and make it a better place to live," said Lamey.
Lamey, who plans to move to Stoneham from Norton once his children finish school in the spring, is already working on his top priority--selecting a Deputy Fire Chief.
"One of my short term goals is to alter the command structure of the Fire Department to include a Deputy Chief," said Lamey, who holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Fire Science from Providence College.
Lamey said it is important to have a Deputy Chief in charge when the chief is unavailable. In the absence of the chief, there is currently one of four shift captains in charge of the department.
"This leaves no one in charge to see to it that the policies of the chief are adhered to consistently with proper accountability," said Lamey in an organizational chart presented to Nutting last week.
But equally as important as filling in for the chief, Lamey is also looking for someone to assist in the day-to-day operations of the Department and oversee specific programs and projects, especially Fire Prevention.
"I feel very strongly about having strong leadership in the Fire Prevention Department," said Lamey, who had served as Deputy Chief in Norton since 1991. "Fire Prevention must be the most important function of the Fire Department. We must show the community that we offer more than just emergency services...In the upcoming months I will like to see how we can expand on some of the services that we provide to the community including increased Fire Prevention education."
Lamey said under the current structure in Stoneham, the Fire Prevention officer holds the post for usually about three years before shifting to a fire suppression division.
"You don't even get your feet wet in three years," said Lamey. "There are so many programs under Fire Prevention that continue throughout the year like property inspections and fire drills at required establishments...We need to get out to the elderly residential complexes... There are so many things that usually aren't done unless you have a person who is in the position long-term and career management orientated."
Lamey would like to have someone in the Deputy Chief's position in three months, but understands it could take longer because of collective bargaining issues since the Deputy Chief would not be included in the Firefighter's Union. Lamey's proposed organizational design indi-cates one less fire captain to be replaced with the deputy chief's position.
"We need to get everyone in the same boat on this," said Lamey.
In the long term, Lamey would like to see some improvements in the town's small fire station, record keeping procedures and firefighter training.
Although noting Stoneham's excellent reputation around the state as top-notch firefighters, Lamey admits that both in-house and outside training has been lacking in recent years, due primarily to budget constraints. Reportedly, in his first review of the department during the job interview stage, Lamey was shocked at the small training budget and lack of training facilities within the fire station. Lamey was the training officer for the Norton Fire Depart-ment.
Without getting into specifics, Lamey said the current fire station, although renovated a half-dozen years ago, is "lacking in many, many areas." Lamey said the Fire Station would have to be addressed in "future years."
Lamey said his first impression of his future firefighting contingent and Stoneham as a community have been positive, although noting a big difference in the layout of Norton versus Stoneham.
"Norton is 30 square miles while Stoneham has a more dense area," said Lamey. "This presents much different fire fighting scenarios than I am accustomed to. It is imperative that we have adequate staffing to make sure that all of our firefighters are protected at all times. There are exposure problems that are faced when fighting fires in buildings that are only 10-20 feet apart."
The 23-year firefighting veteran, who also spent time as an EMT, said the reception from his men has been friendly, despite the anger from some members of the community that his position was not filled by Nutting from within the department.
"The men have been very helpful in offering assistance," said Lamey. "I do not foresee any problems during the transition stage. In fact, Acting Chief (Charles) Fitzgerald has been extremely beneficial and I expect he will continue to be helpful over the next few weeks.
"I have not sensed any bitterness. I do not believe anyone faults me directly for what took place. If there are any hard feelings, I will work hard to remedy those problems. I plan to meet with the captains and the local collective bargaining unit. I have heard nothing but praise about the Stoneham firefighters and how they work so well as a team. I hope to be able to work with them to continue to keep this community safe."
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