September 2026
Issue #14
The Executive Board
President
Chief Brian F. Nardelli
Brockton Fire Department
Immediate Past President
Chief Patrick Purcell
Westborough Fire Department
1st Vice President
Chief Christopher Norris
Easthampton Fire Department
Secretary/Treasurer
Chief Kevin P. Partridge, Ret.
2nd Vice President
Chief Derek Sencabaugh
Lexington Fire Department
President’s Message ; Chief Brian F. Nardelli
I would like to begin by thanking Chief Peter O’Connor for welcoming FCAM to
the beautiful community of Beverley. The staff at the Beverley Golf and Tennis
Club was very gracious. How can an Italian kid from the city of Brockton say
anything bad about a country club that served sausage, peppers and onion to a
group of Chiefs for lunch. Pete, you must have told them I was coming up!
On a more professional note, the Executive Board would like to applaud all
members who have joined the Legal Defense Fund. It appears that a good number
of Chiefs have already been exercising this great benefit. I just recently spoke to
Chief that used the services for consultation and the writing of his contract. If a
member of the Legal Defense Fund, you receive discounted fees on contract
consult and writing.
Please remember that your Executive Board is here if needed
__________________________________________________________________
Please update your contacts and begin to use the following emails for FCAM:President: president@fcam.org
secretary@fcam.org
board@fcam.org
Upcoming Meetings & Trainings
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FCAM General Membership Meeting - The Manor Banquet Facility
October 21, 2026
10:00 am - 5:00 pm
The Manor Banquet Facility
FCAM General Membership Meeting October 21, 2026 1000 hours The Manor Banquet Facility 42 W. Boylston St. West Boylston (more…)
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FCAM General Membership Meeting - Hosted by NFPA, at Marriott Boston Quincy
November 18, 2026
9:00 am - 5:00 pm
Marriott Boston Quincy
FCAM General Membership Meeting November 18, 2026 0900 – Coffee with Vendors 1000 – meeting noon Lunch RSVP required 1000 Marriott Drive, Quincy (more…)
Monthly Highlights
Register for a free Webinar!
From Funding to Impact: Enhanced Public EMS Medicaid Reimbursements
The Massachusetts Legislature is currently debating an “Economic Development” bill. Included in the House version of the bill is a section that would significantly increase Medicaid reimbursements for public EMS providers.
Who is interested ?:
If you are a Chief who runs a fire-based EMS service, this could have significant impact on your EMS system and revenues. Federal Law allows local EMS providers to bill an “enhanced” Medicaid payment that aligns more with the Medicare rates but needs state approval.
If you want tolearn more about this opportunity to maximize Medicaid revenues for your EMS system, please join this webinar.
Save the Date: Date: October 28 Time: to be announced
Link: to be announced
This program will explain how department will have an opportunity for increased Medicaid Reimbursements.
In Memoriam
Fire Chief Ralph Tanzi, Retired Rockland Fire Department
Fire chief Richard ” Rich” Pauley, Retired Wellfleet Fire Department
FCAM Welcomes
Assistant chief Michael Peckham, Marlborough Fire Department
Fire Chief Daniel Veinot, Rowley Fire Department
Chief of OPS, Michael Austrino, Randolph Fire Department
Fire Chief Daniel Hehir, Westborough Fire Department
Deputy Chief Justin White, Harwich Fire Department
Deputy Chief Jason Fricker, Rockland Fire Department
Fire Chief Thomas Bessette, West Brookfield Fire Department
Fire Chief Matthew Cross, Chicopee Fire Department
Deputy Chief John Furno, Douglas Fire Department
Fire Chief Kelly Manning, Douglas Fire Department
Important Notes
Massachusetts is transitioning from the current MOLST (Medical Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment)process to a newPOLST (Portable Medical Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment)system supported by a statewide electronic registry known as ePOLST. The purpose of the new system is to provide a more consistent and accessible way for patients with serious illness or significant frailty to document medical orders regarding life-sustaining treatment and allow those orders to be readily available to healthcare providers and EMS. Unlike a Health Care Proxy or advance directive, a POLST is a set of medical orders intended to guide treatment during an emergency.
The statewide transition is scheduled for April 6, 2027. Beginning on that date, Massachusetts will no longer create new MOLST forms and will instead use the ePOLST Registry for new portable medical orders. Existing, valid MOLST and DNR/Comfort Care forms will continue to be honored after the transition, so EMS agencies will need to be prepared to recognize and follow both existing MOLSTs and the new POLST process during the transition period.
The state is providing organizations with two general approaches for accessing ePOLST: using the standalone web-based registry or pursuing integration with an organization’s electronic health record system. For a municipal fire-based EMS system, the standalone option may initially be the more straightforward approach, but the department should discuss the available options with its ePCR vendor and IT personnel before making that determination. The state is currently beginning implementation and integration activities, with training expected to occur before the April 2027 transition.
Existing MOLSTs do not become invalid simply because Massachusetts transitions to ePOLST. They remain valid and are to be honored, while new orders after April 6, 2027 will be created through the POLST process. This means there will likely be a period in which EMS encounters both legacy MOLST documents and new electronic POLST records. All OEMS protocols will be updated prior to implementation and all users will have individual logins for access. There will be no organizational accounts in order to ensure compliance with all HIPAA requirements. We will do our best to keep all Chiefs updated as this process continues to evolve.