stoneham

Six Firefighters Join Stoneham Fire Department

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Stoneham Fire Department
Chief Matthew Grafton
25 Central Street
Stoneham, MA 02180-2044

For Immediate Release

Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2019

Contact: John Guilfoil
Phone: 781-533-9398
Email: [email protected]

Six Firefighters Join Stoneham Fire Department

Left to right: Firefighter Stephen Ternullo, Brian Cronin, Kyle Bowdidge, Chief Matthew Grafton, Firefighters Nicholas Rolli, Evan Kotowski and Anthony Luciano. (Courtesy Photo Stoneham Fire Department)

STONEHAM — Chief Matthew Grafton is pleased to announce that six firefighters were appointed to the Stoneham Fire Department yesterday.

During a ceremony on Monday, Feb. 25, Town Clerk Maria Sagarino swore in firefighters Stephen Ternullo, Brian Cronin, Kyle Bowdidge, Nicholas Rolli, Evan Kotowski and Anthony Luciano.

Two of the six appointments fill open positions from when firefighters Bill McNulty and Anthony Riggillo retired last year. The other four positions were made possible through a Staffing for Adequate Fire & Emergency Response (SAFER) Grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The $505,000 FEMA grant will be administered over three years, with Stoneham also contributing approximately $314,000 over that time period.

“We’re extremely grateful to FEMA for this grant and to the Stoneham Select Board and Town Administrator for supporting this endeavor,” Chief Grafton said. “The addition of six firefighters allows us to increase services to residents and better ensure that crews are safe at all times.”

The department now has 43 members. Prior to applying for the FEMA grant, Chief Grafton completed a staffing survey of surrounding communities and found that Stoneham was not staffed adequately compared to similar cities and towns. Additionally, with approximately 1,000 more housing units coming to Stoneham and public sector employees now required to operate under Occupational Safety and Health Administration guidelines, increasing the fire department’s roster was crucial.

Firefighter Ternullo is a 2011 graduate of Stoneham High School and served in the army as a military police officer from 2011 to 2016.  He currently works as an HVAC technician.

A 2013 graduate of Stoneham High School, firefighter Cronin received his bachelor’s degree in science marketing from Southern New Hampshire University and is a certified EMT. He currently works as a fire equipment technician and previously volunteered for the Stoneham Fire Auxiliary.

Firefighter Bowdidge is a 2009 graduate of Stoneham High School and is currently attending Middlesex Community College while working as a carpenter. He is a member of the Army National Guard, a position he’s held since 2012. Firefighter Bowdidge is in the process of completing his EMT certification.

Firefighter Rolli is a 2014 graduate of Malden Catholic High School and received his bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Saint Anselm College. While in college, he completed an internship with the Hudson, New Hampshire Police Department and recently completed his EMT certification. Firefighter Rolli previously worked part-time for the Stoneham Department of Public Works.

Following his graduation from Stoneham High School in 2014, firefighter Kotowski attended Bridgewater State University, where he received a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice. He currently works as a public safety officer for a healthcare provider.

Firefighter Luciano is a 2010 graduate of Arlington Catholic High School and is currently a member of the Stoneham Department of Public Works. He previously worked within the facilities department for Stoneham Public Schools and the Burlington Department of Public Works. Firefighter Luciano recently completed schooling to obtain his Class B driver’s license (CDL).

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Stoneham Fire Chief Graduates From Chief Fire Officer Training Program

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Stoneham Fire Department
Chief Matthew Grafton
25 Central Street
Stoneham, MA 02180-2044

For Immediate Release

Friday, Feb. 15, 2019

Contact: John Guilfoil
Phone: 781-533-9398
Email: [email protected]

Stoneham Fire Chief Graduates From Chief Fire Officer Training Program

State Fire Marshal Peter Ostroskey, right, presents Chief Matthew Grafton with a certificate for completing the Chief Fire Officer Management Training Program. (Courtesy Photo)

STONEHAM — The Stoneham Fire Department is pleased to announce that Chief Matthew Grafton recently completed the Massachusetts Firefighting Academy’s Chief Fire Officer Management Training Program.

On Jan. 31, Chief Grafton and 36 other fire service leaders from across Massachusetts graduated from the 26th Massachusetts Firefighting Academy’s Chief Fire Officer Management Training Program.

The 14-week program covered a variety of topics considered essential for effective public sector management including: human resource management, ethics, executive leadership and legal issues, governmental and organization structures, information management, customer-focused strategic planning, legal aspects, budgets and public finance, community awareness and public relations and labor relations.

The program helps fire officers improve their ability to lead and manage personnel and the department, to provide skills to understand employees’ needs and problems, to promote personal productivity, to increase the capacity to manage both human and technical resources and to increase inter-agency cooperation.

Chief Grafton has been with the department since 1999. In 2010 he became a lieutenant and a little more than a year later, earned the rank of captain. He took over as chief in 2016 and is a credentialed fire chief by the Massachusetts Fire Commission. He holds a bachelor’s degree in fire science from Salem State University.

The other 36 graduates of the program serve the following fire departments: Ashburnham, Ashland, Athol, Belmont, Braintree, Brookline, Carver, Concord, Dennis, Dudley, Duxbury, Duxbury, Easthampton, Falmouth, Foxborough, Hanover, Harwich, Holyoke, Hull, Leverett, Mansfield, Massport, Melrose, Needham, North Reading, Onset, Raynham, Sharon, Somerville, Sturbridge, Tewksbury, West Bridgewater, West Brookfield, Westborough, Wilbraham and Yarmouth.

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Stoneham Fire Department Receives Grants for Fire Safety Education Programs

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Stoneham Fire Department
Chief Matthew Grafton
25 Central Street
Stoneham, MA 02180-2044

For Immediate Release

Friday, Feb. 15, 2019

Contact: John Guilfoil
Phone: 781-533-9398
Email: [email protected]

Stoneham Fire Department Receives Grants for Fire Safety Education Programs

STONEHAM — Chief Matthew Grafton is pleased to announce that the Stoneham Fire Department received two grants to support its Student Awareness of Fire Education (S.A.F.E.) programs.

The Massachusetts Department of Fire Services awarded the Stoneham Fire Department $4,354 for its S.A.F.E. Program and an additional $2,600 for its Senior S.A.F.E. Program.

“Both the the S.A.F.E. and Senior S.A.F.E. programs are key components to the department’s efforts in ensuring that residents, both old and young, stay safe in their homes and at school,” Chief Grafton said. “Thank you to the Massachusetts Department of Fire Services for continuing to support our fire safety programs.”

This funding allows the Stoneham Fire Department to visit Stoneham Public Schools every year for fire drills and interactive fire safety presentations.

The department, in conjunction with the Board of Health and the Council on Aging, is also able to supply free smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, along with lock boxes to senior residents in need through its home visit program.

As part of the home visit program, representatives from the Stoneham Fire Department, Board of Health and the Council on Aging will arrange to come to a resident’s home to ensure everything is in safe, working order. All aspects of a senior’s home will be checked, including making sure smoke and carbon monoxide alarms are in working order, stair railings are secure, water heaters and refrigerators have the correct settings, combustibles are stored away from heat sources, outlets are not overloaded and more.

Those who need a new smoke or CO detector will be able to obtain one through the fire department. Additionally, seniors with disabilities, medical conditions or who live alone are eligible to receive a free lock box, which can be installed outside their home and utilized by family members or first responders during an emergency situation where quick access into the house is needed.

Residents who want to sign up for a home visit, can do so by calling the senior center at 781-438-1157. Families who have concerns for a senior family member living alone, and who think they may benefit from a home visit, are also encouraged to call.

The S.A.F.E. Program is a state initiative designed to provide resources to local fire departments to conduct fire and life safety education programs for children in kindergarten through 12th grade. The program aims to enable students to recognize fire hazards and teach key safety behaviors that should be used anytime a child comes into contact with a fire. Since the S.A.F.E. program’s inception in 1995, the average annual number of child deaths caused by a fire has fallen by 72 percent in Massachusetts.

Senior S.A.F.E. is a similar program that was created to support fire safety education specifically for older adults, who are most at risk of dying in a fire in Massachusetts. The program builds on the success of the original S.A.F.E. program and helps forge a connection between fire departments and a variety of senior support agencies working in their communities.

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Stoneham Dive Team Completes Ice Training on Spot Pond

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Friday, Feb. 8, 2019

Contact: John Guilfoil
Phone: 781-533-9398
Email: [email protected]

Stoneham Dive Team Completes Ice Training on Spot Pond

STONEHAM — Fire Chief Matthew Grafton and Police Chief James McIntyre are pleased to announce that the Stoneham Public Safety Dive Team completed ice training at Spot Pond this week.

Stoneham’s dive team has been in existence since the early 1980s and consists of 10 members from the fire and police departments — each bringing a unique set of skills and expertise to the group. The team provides mutual aid to surrounding communities for water related searches and rescues.

“The Stoneham Fire and Police Departments have a long history of working well together during fire investigations and it’s a great resource to have a member of the police department who can add another level of skills to the team,” Chief Grafton said. “This training was a great opportunity for veteran members to refine their skills and new members to learn a critical part of what the team is called to do.”

From Feb. 4-6, Firefighters Mike Labriola, Dave Eastman, Dan Kelleher, Mike Coughlin, Tom DeCroteau, Jack Sullivan and Rick Darragh and Stoneham Police Sgt. Dave Thistle participated in the training taught by Dive Rescue International. Firefighters from Beverly, Billerica, Lunenburg, Cambridge and the New York City Fire Department also joined in the training.

Participants first spent time in the classroom and pool at the YMCA in Reading, where they reviewed procedures before heading to Spot Pond. Stoneham Dive Team members cut a hole in the ice, which was between 8 to 10 inches thick, so divers could complete different real-life simulations where they practiced search patterns and looked for objects.

“The dive team adds to the services we are able to offer residents and it is a great resource for our neighboring communities,” Chief McIntyre said. “Together, police and fire are able to perform search and rescue operations and recover objects with a connection to criminal investigations that may have been discarded in the water.”

Prior to the training, the Stoneham Fire Department received a $75,000 earmark from state Sen. Jason Lewis and state Rep. Michael Day, which it used to purchase 10 full face masks and equipment that allows divers to communicate with each other both in and out of the water. The department was also able to purchase a John Deere Gator Utility Vehicle that helps dive team members more easily access the water and wooded terrain.

“We want to thank state Sen. Lewis and state Rep. Day for this generous earmark that has allowed us to increase safety for members of the dive team and improve services to the communities we serve,” Chief Gafton said.

Chief Grafton would also like to remind residents to not walk, skate or fish on the ice. Although recent measurements have indicated the ice is thick, warmer than normal temperatures this week mean the ice is thinning.

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