FCAM extends its deepest sympathies to the Chief Czerwinski’s family, friends and the Pittsfield Fire Department. Information on services will be shared when they are made available.
Former Pittsfield Fire Chief Robert Czerwinski was remembered Tuesday for his friendship, his skill as a fire science instructor and willingness to serve and protect.
Czerwinski, who served the Pittsfield Fire Department for 32 years, including nine as its chief, died early Tuesday morning. He was 68.
“Those that are familiar with Chief Czerwinski know just how integral he was not only to the City of Pittsfield Fire Department but also to surrounding communities,” the city firefighters union, International Brotherhood of Fire Fighters Local 2647, said in a social media post. “Please keep him and his family in your thoughts and prayers.”
Pittsfield Fire Chief Thomas Sammons said Czerwinski had a long battle with cancer from workplace exposure. According to the IAFF, 72 percent of its members’ line-of-duty deaths in 2023 were occupational cancers.
Former Lanesborough Fire Chief Charles Durfee described Czerwinski as “my best friend.” He said he had been at Czerwinski’s home “every other day” over the past month and a half as his health declined, along with state Regional Director of Emergency Management Pat Carnevale and Berkshire County Sheriff’s Office Lt. Col. Thomas Grady.
The men, who met through their professions, became a tight-knit group of friends who traveled together to professional conferences, golfed together, and celebrated holidays and milestones. They gathered again over the weekend and on Monday, at Czerwinski’s Pittsfield home, to see him one last time.
“I couldn’t ask for a better friend,” Durfee said. “I will miss him more than life.”
Friends and former colleagues remembered Czerwinski for his command of fire science and hazardous materials topics and his commitment to mentoring the next generation of firefighting leaders.
“In my career, I’ve met very few people as intelligent as Bob was in public safety and emergency management,” Grady said. “He was a go-to guy for a lot of people here and across the state in hazardous materials.”