The Executive Board
President
Chief Patrick Purcell
Westborough Fire Department
Immediate Past President
Chief Michael Kelleher
Foxborough Fire Department
1st Vice President
Chief Brian F. Nardelli
Brockton Fire Department
Secretary/Treasurer
Chief Kevin P. Partridge, Ret.
2nd Vice President
Chief Christopher Norris
Easthampton Fire Department
President’s Message
Welcome to the Fire Chiefs Association of Massachusetts newsletter. It is my honor to serve as the FCAM President this year and I look forward to this opportunity to enhance communication amongst Chief Fire Officers across the Commonwealth. As your Executive Board works hard during challenging times, we are tasked with leading the organization through a variety of complex situations, while continuing to deliver the highest quality of service possible to our members. For all of us to succeed, we need to maintain strong networks and partnerships within our communities, and to provide opportunities for our members to advance our profession as well. FCAM exists for these reasons – to further professional advancement of the fire service, to serve as the recognized Fire Chief’s organization for the exchanging of ideas, experience, and knowledge in areas affecting fire prevention, extinguishment, and the safety of life and property from fire, and to promote efficient fire administration.
FCAM will continue to enhance communication and support with the common goal of leveraging each other’s strengths to allow us move forward with technology, data and analytics, and health and safety, while also protecting our rich traditions.
As there are many leaders within our organization, we are all given the responsibility to protect the health, safety, and well- being of our peers, those that serve within our departments, and to assure that the highest quality of service it provided to our citizens. I look forward to serving you over the remainder of my term and please know that it is truly an honor.
Respectfully,
Patrick Purcell, Fire Chief
Town of Westborough
FCAM is launching new emails for the organization to go into effect immediately.
Please update your contacts and begin to use the following emails for FCAM:
Upcoming Meetings & Trainings
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December 17, 2025
12:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Please login to RSVP. (more…)
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January 21, 2026
10:00 am - 12:00 pm
This general membership meeting will be held virtually: https://meet.goto.com/167632845 (more…)
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2026 FCAM Conference
February 24, 2026 - February 26, 2026
8:00 am - 5:00 pm
Each year a group of dedicated fire chiefs work to enhance the professional development of our fire leaders through these educational seminars. The 2026 theme “Ignite, Adapt, Overcome: Leading in Today’s Fire Service” stands as the foundation in all we do. Through professional development seminars like this, we hope to prepare fire leaders to face (more…)
In Memoriam
Retirement Well Wishes
Chief Joe Cuneo of New Salem & Wendell FD – Retirement Gathering August 20, from 4 pm-7 pm @ New Salem Academy and Museum of Fine Art, 37 S. Main St. New Salem
Chief Keith Stark of Weymouth FD
Farewell Coffee July 10 from 10 am @ Weymouth Town Hall, 75 Middle Street
FCAM Welcomes
Important Notes
Incident Management Team Update: 07/02/2025
The IMT study group has been meeting regularly. The group has discussed a multitude of topics, including training for members, Task books, roll out, admittance etc. The group has been working with various vendors to acquire training costs for initial training of members and then to move into Section specific training. The training component has been very interesting for all members of the group and working with different vendors throughout the country has been enlightening to different hurdles.
The IMT study group has just released a Google Form to judge interest in our members in hopes to begin vetting out the interest and capabilities for selection. The group has been working well together with assignments to each member and strong communication to move this agenda forward.
If you are interested in becoming a member of FCAM IMT, please complete the online form.
Upcoming Training: Utility Safety Training Certification
Developed with the assistance of local fire-fighting professionals, National Grid offers a self-directed, interactive online training package that provides emergency response personnel with the information they need to safely identify and respond to incidents that may involve natural gas pipelines, electric power lines and other utility facilities. This program also covers solar photovoltaic (PV) system safety.
Calling All Chiefs — Your Expertise is Needed for the Revitalized Mentoring Program!
Since its inception in 2009, the Fire Chiefs Association Mentoring Program has provided vital peer support to Chiefs across all 15 fire districts. Built on the vision of experienced leadership guiding those in need, this program has grown through the dedication of over 30 Chiefs who have generously volunteered their time during critical moments.
With the support of an outside consultant, we’ve held two training sessions that laid the foundation for the program as it exists today. However, as many of our seasoned mentors have recently retired, we are now facing a shortage of active Chiefs available to support their peers.
To address this, we are excited to announce a full program update, launching this fall with enhanced training delivered by a nationally recognized speaker. As we prepare to relaunch, we are seeking committed, experienced Chiefs to join our mentor team. Ideally, we are looking for 2–3 Chiefs per fire district to take part in this upcoming training and be ready to offer guidance to fellow Chiefs when the need arises.
The Class will be held, September 26, 2025, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Westborough Fire Headquarters, 42 Milk Street, Westborough, MA
This is your opportunity to make a lasting impact on the leadership and resilience of fire service in our organization.
Legislative Priorities 2025–2026
Government Affairs Director’s Update on FCAM Legislative Priorities
Click here for a full list of all Legislative Priorities and links to additional information.
Most of our priority Bills have already been through the Public Hearing process including Bills addressing:
Still waiting for a Hearing are the two Bills addressing ambulance reimbursement and patient’s rights.
Three of the Bills have already been reported out Favorably by the Joint Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security including both the House and Senate versions of the proposal to move OEMS to the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security, and the Senate version of the 26I Bill.
We have also submitted testimony on Bills dealing with confidentiality for emergency service crisis intervention providers, requirements for utility companies regarding double utility poles, and opposing the attempt to legalize single stairways in buildings up to six stories. The Senate version of the Bill to ensure confidentiality for peer support personnel has been reported out Favorably.
The State Budget for FY 26 is finalized and I’m happy to report that DFS, SAFE and the regional peer support teams are fully funded, and that the On-Site Academy received an increase in its earmark. Also of note, the proposal to eliminate the Medicaid/Medicare pop-up provision was not included in the final version of the Budget. This represents approximately 30 million dollars to the State’s ambulance services.
The Executive Board had a meeting with the Governor to discuss priorities including moving OEMS, mandatory training, and renewing the Fire Equipment Grant authorization.
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