November 2025
The Executive Board wishes all FCAM members and their families a very Happy Thanksgiving
Issue #4
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
Message from the Executive Board
The Executive Board is working to develop a committee to assist Fire Chiefs with dealing with LODD’s, and how to support the family, and a department through this challenging event. Chief Scott Carrigan from Salisbury Fire Department and the District 15 Director will lead the effort.
On November 13 , Ian Bennett, the National Line of Duty Death Outreach Coordinator for the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation delivered the Local Assistance State Team Program to twenty FCAM members. Dealing with a firefighter line-of-duty death is one of the toughest and most challenging experiences a fire department can face, this training will help to develop a unified response and assist fire departments and the firefighter’s family immediately following a line-of-duty death.
The FCAM committee will also assist in supporting the Chief on what they should be doing to assure the family of the firefighters receive the state, federal and local benefits they are entitled to.
Overview
The NFFF Local Assistance State Team (LAST) Program offers critical, immediate support to fire departments and the families of firefighters who have fallen in the line of duty. Established through a partnership among the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation, the Department of Justice, and the Bureau of Justice Assistance, these specialized teams are present in every state. Their mission is to provide operational assistance, guide funeral planning, and help families and departments navigate federal, state, and local benefit claims.
Program Services
- Immediate Support: LAST teams are prepared to deploy within hours after a line-of-duty death is reported, ensuring that families and departments receive prompt assistance.
- Family Support: The teams offer emotional comfort and guidance to the families of fallen firefighters, helping them cope during an extremely difficult time.
- Operational Support: LAST teams assist fire departments in maintaining their essential services to the community, even as they deal with the loss of a team member.
- Funeral Planning: They coordinate and organize funeral arrangements, honoring the fallen firefighter with dignity and respect.
- Benefit Assistance: The program guides families and departments through the process of applying for federal, state, and local benefits, including the Public Safety Officers Benefits program.
- Mental Health Support: LAST teams help obtain behavioral health counseling for both families and department members to support their emotional and psychological well-being.
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…)
Monthly Highlights
Chief Peter J. Burke Jr. elected International Director for the New England Division of the IAFC.
President Purcell is very thankful for the over 120 FCAM members who turned out at the NE Conference at Mohegan Sun on October 30, and appreciates everyone’s support for Chief Burke. Chief Purcell also extends the thanks of FCAM to Chief Keith Stark for his great work he did as the IAFC Director.
The Officers and members of FCAM extend our congratulations to Chief Burke on being elected as the Director for the New England Division to the IAFC. We wish him the best of luck, and offer our continued support.
Western MA Fire Chiefs hold Annual Legislators Day
On Friday, November 7th, the Western MA Fire Chiefs Association held their annual Legislative Day with state and local leaders from the region. This year, for the first time, the event was held at the Department of Fire Services, Springfield Academy campus. Over 110 people attended the event, and had the opportunity to listen and understand the legislative priorities of the Fire Chiefs. Brockton Fire Chief and 1st VP of FCAM, Brian Nardelli, welcomed all attendees to the event and thanked everyone for their time to be there.
Hosting the event at the Springfield Fire Academy campus provided the legislators the opportunity not only to listen to the list of priorities, but also understand and see first hand the equipment and resources needed to safely and efficiently conduct our operations. It also provided them the opportunity to directly see and tour the campus, as over half of the local and state legislators had never been there. Attendees had the opportunity to rotate through four different stations that provided them an overview to some of the equipment used in the fire service. The four stations included PPE & SCBA, vehicle extrication, build building demo & thermal imaging operations, and an EMS station.
A catered breakfast was provided, and during that time, the fire chiefs discussed some of the legislative priorities. The four main pieces of legislation that were discussed during this event included, moving OEMS into EOPSS, the Public Safety Building Authority, Technical Rescue Teams coming under DFS, and the Chiefs also took the opportunity to explain the importance of the Fire Service Equipment Grants and working with the Governor to have another bond bill reauthorized for this equipment. All of these topics and pieces of legislation were then reinforced as everyone rotated through the different skill stations.
Overall, the event was very successful. It stimulated lots of discussions and questions, provided a hands-on opportunity for our legislative leaders to better understand the needs of the fire service, and learn about the value of our priority legislation.
Special thanks go out to State Fire Marshal Jon Davine, Deputy State Fire Marshal Maribel Fournier, DFS General Counsel Glen Rooney, DFS PIO Jake Wark, and all of the Support Staff at the Springfield Campus. This event would not have been possible without their ongoing support for this event.
Important Notes
CFSI Trip to DC, March 18&19, 2026
FCAM will once again travel to Washington DC during the Annual National Fire and Emergency Services Symposium and Dinner March 18&19. Chiefs are asked to join the FCAM Leadership during this visit, where we will hold our Legislative Breakfast with the MA Delegation on Wednesday March 18, and have office visits throughout day on the hill, along with other Fire Service Leaders visiting their legislators all across the hill.
We will attend the Annual CFSI Dinner on Thursday March 19 as a group and ask that all chiefs planning to attend put their request for a ticket through FCAM. Secretary Partridge will order all tickets and handle invoicing either individuals or districts accordingly. Last year we has 30 Chiefs attend the dinner and it is our hope to increase that number this year. In an effort to support this, FCAM Board of Directors have voted to approve one paid registration ($425) per district.
Please complete the register for the trip at your earliest convenience, it is the goal to order ticket by December 1. Please speak with your Board of Director if you have any questions.
Register for the Trip here.
SAFER Grant Award
The New England Association of Fire Chiefs (NEAFC) was awarded a Staffing for Adequate Fire & Emergency Response (SAFER) Grant in September 2025 for $ 3,376,399 to enhance staffing levels for Volunteer/Combination Fire Departments across six states: Connecticut, New Hampshire, Maine, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Vermont.
Key components of the grant include:
New Member Costs:
This SAFER program will help offset the onboarding costs of new recruits by offering reimbursement for physicals, initial training and PPE
o Physicals – NFPA 1582 compliant entry level physicals (up to $400)
o Training – First Responder, EMT, FF1, and FF2 training expenses (including travel) up to $2,500 per new recruit
o Personal Protective Equipment – A full set of PPE (up to $4,125) for new recruits.
Leadership Training: Workshops on recruitment, retention, management, and behavioral health, along with reimbursement for attending conferences (up to $2,500 per leader).
Membership Dues: Subsidies for State Fire Chiefs, NEAFC, and NVFC membership dues for departments unable to afford them.
Recruitment Marketing: A multi-level media campaign to attract new members, including digital ads, print materials, and event marketing, directing candidates to VolunteerFirefighter.org.
The grant’s performance period is from December 23, 2025, to December 22, 2029.
An Administrative Guide is being developed that will outline available benefits, assist FCAM members with eligibility requirements, and provide guidance on the reimbursement process.
Swansea Fire Chief Eric Hajder will serve as the FCAM point of contact. Additional information will be disseminated as it becomes available.
Legislative Priorities 2025–2026
Click here for a full list of all Legislative Priorities and links to additional information.
November Legislative Update
The following FCAM priority Bills have been reported out of Committee favorably:
- Both the House and Senate versions to move OEMS to EOPSS
- The House version of the Tech Rescue to DFS Bill
- The House and Senate versions of the 26I Bill, the House version has been
ordered to a 3 rd Reading - The two House Bills to establish a Public Safety Building Authority
The Fire Training Council Bill was amended to change the all Call/Volunteer seat to a Chief from “a Community with less than 7000 population.” The MCVA agrees with this
change.
The Ambulance Reimbursement/Patients Rights Bill had its Public Hearing on October 27 th .
Chief Scoble; FCAM Governmental Affairs Director and Chief Michael Kelleher; IPP testified in front of the Joint Financial Services Committee at the Gardner Auditorium in the State House on the Patients Rights/Ambulance Reimbursement Bill.
Governmental Affairs Director Chief Scoble Ret. and Assistant GAD Doherty meeting with Lt. Governor Driscoll to discuss Ambulance Bill, and OEMS Transfer Bill at Offices of Suffolk Group in Boston.
FCAM History
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