WINTHROP — The Town of Winthrop wishes to invite community members to bid farewell to longtime Fire Chief Paul Flanagan at a barbecue in honor of his retirement on Thursday.
WHEN:
Thursday, Sept. 30, noon to 2 p.m.
WHERE:
Town Hall Green, 1 Metcalf Square
WHAT:
Friends and residents are invited to a community barbecue to celebrate Chief Flanagan’s 43-year career in fire service.
Chief Flanagan will officially conclude his tenure on Thursday, Sept. 30. He began his career with the Winthrop Fire Department in 1978 as a firefighter. He was promoted to Lieutenant in 1986 and Captain in 1988. He has served as Chief since 2008.
Chief Flanagan’s grandfather, father and brother also served the Winthrop Fire Department. His grandfather served as a Lieutenant, his father as Chief and his brother as Captain. For 118 consecutive years, the family has collectively dedicated 162 years of service to the town.
“Serving as Winthrop’s Fire Chief has been the honor of my lifetime. I leave this office confident that I approached every shift and every day as Chief with the same values that defined my family’s service to both the town and the department,” said Chief Flanagan. “I would like to thank the hundreds of firefighters that I have had the honor of serving with. I have benefited from working for some of the finest officers to ever wear the uniform and have been given the privilege of leading some of the most dedicated, tough and compassionate firefighters in our business for at least some part of each of the past five decades.”
During his tenure as Chief, he spearheaded numerous advancements, including standardizing the department’s engines and helping raise more than $75,000 to install new windows in the stations.
“As Chief, Paul came in every day with the mission to serve and protect the residents of our town. He has truly made our town a better and safer place,” said Town Council President Philip Boncore. “Not only should he be proud of his accomplishments, but also of the accomplishments of his family, who dedicated their lives to service, too. I thank him for his many years of work to make our community safer and stronger. I hope that the community joins us in wishing him the very best in his retirement this Thursday.”
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