Harwich Fire and Rescue Department Chief
The Harwich Fire Department is committed to providing professional emergency services essential to the health, safety, and well being of the community. We accomplish our mission through fire prevention, education, fire suppression, advanced emergency medicine, hazard mitigation, and other related services. As always, we will utilize all of the resources entrusted to us, to effectively and efficiently provide a service deemed excellent by our community.
2007 has been a year of significant transition at the Harwich Fire Department. My first six months as Fire Chief have been extremely active and rewarding. Due to attrition there have been two new hires and three promotions at the Harwich Fire Department within my first two months. My first order of business as Chief was to promote Captain Norman M. Clarke Jr., a thirty-year veteran of the Department to the position of Deputy Chief. With the Deputy Chief’s position filled we went ahead with the testing process to determine the next new Captain and Lieutenant. This was a difficult decision for all the right reasons, because so many talented and qualified individuals took the initiative to go through this extensive exam process. As a result of the process, Lt. Joseph Mayo was promoted to the rank of Captain and Fire Fighter Michael Mason was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant. We also welcomed two new members to the Department, Fire Fighter/Paramedic Joshua Ford, who joins us after serving on the Yarmouth Fire Department, and Fire Fighter/EMT Ryan Edwards, a former member of the Orleans and Amherst Fire Departments.
The Harwich Fire Department continues to provide the very best service possible with the resources provided. This would not be possible without the cooperation and input from a very dedicated and committed Fire Department staff. Over the last six months we have examined our operation and have made adjustments in everything from the way we dispense paper towels to how our Oxygen is supplied. We have requested energy audits of our two facilities and I am proud to announce our East Harwich Station #2 received an Energy Star Award for energy conservation. We have actively pursued a number of grants this year with great success. In 2007 we have been awarded in excess of $135,000 worth of training funds and equipment from the Massachusetts Fire Fighter Equipment Grant, the Assistance to Fire Fighters Grant Program/US Department of Homeland Security, the Massachusetts DCR/Federal Excess Property Program and the Cape Cod Foundation. I would also like to thank Philip Burt of the Barnstable County Resource Department for reviewing our grant applications prior to submission.
I would like to thank all the members and staff of the Harwich Fire Department for their support during my first six months as Fire Chief. The encouragement and support you have provided me is heartfelt and humbling. Our firefighters are committed to providing the very best in emergency services for our community, with the highest degrees of professionalism, caring, compassion, and excellence. The Harwich Fire Department fully appreciates the years of support from the Board of Selectmen, the Town Administrator and the citizens we serve. I would also like to thank our fellow employees in other Town Departments; through their spirit of cooperation we have one of the finest communities on Cape Cod.
Respectfully Submitted,
William L. Flynn Jr.
Fire Chief