Press Release  DFS Recognizes 20 Staff Members for Outstanding Performance

STOW — The Department of Fire Services this week recognized three teams of employees for raising the quality of support the agency provides to Massachusetts fire departments.

State Fire Marshal Jon M. Davine honored significant contributions from three branches of the agency at the annual DFS Performance Recognition Program ceremony on February 10:

Code Compliance & Enforcement Unit: After their five-person team lost three members through attrition, Code Compliance Officers Matthew Murray and John Wood III stepped up and handled every single call for assistance statewide from 2024 into 2025. These calls ranged from day-to-day support for local fire departments to inspections at fatal fire scenes in the dead of night, everywhere from the Berkshires to the Cape and Islands.

Massachusetts Firefighting Academy Accreditation Team: Accreditation through the National Board on Fire Service Professional Qualifications, better known as the Pro Board, is the gold standard for fire service training agencies. Deputy State Fire Marshal Maribel Fournier, Instructional Design & Curriculum Development Specialist Sara Pragluski Walsh, Certification Coordinator Kevin Robinson, and Assistant Coordinator Vashon Robinson of the Massachusetts Firefighting Academy spent about 18 months preparing the MFA’s training, exam development, and testing processes for reaccreditation. A two-day site visit by Pro Board personnel led to a successful five-year reaccreditation.

Special Operations D4H Implementation Team: The DFS Special Operations team provides direct support to local fire departments at emergency scenes and planned events using a wide array of specialized apparatus and equipment. Robbie Barton, Erick Benoit, Gerald Byrne, Nicholas Ferri, Shawn Green, Patrick Haskell, Kory Koster, Philip Kraus, Michael McLaughlin, Michael Nothe, Kevin O’Connell, Michael Peters, Paul Shea, and Christopher Shute worked for several months to implement a new software system that fully integrates and streamlines personnel management, training, equipment inventory, and incident reporting across three regional teams.

“DFS is first and foremost a support agency, and each member of these three teams went above and beyond their usual duties to deliver and enhance that support,” said State Fire Marshal Davine. “Their hard work behind the scenes has provided immediate and long-term benefits to the Massachusetts fire service.”

Also during the ceremony State Fire Marshal Davine recognized 224 full-time and contract employees who had reached milestone anniversaries at DFS or its predecessor agencies. These employees included 20 who had reached 30 or more years – including one, Francis J. King, Jr., who had 50 consecutive years of service before he passed away last year.

“We remember Francis with deep gratitude for his commitment to the fire service, both as a firefighter in Maynard and as a respected colleague at DFS,” said State Fire Marshal Davine.

Finally, after a heated competition among the agency’s leading culinary stars, 20-year staff member Kent Vinson won the DFS Chili Cookoff, edging out five other submissions to take home the annual trophy.

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