BOSTON (WHDH) - New Boston Fire Commissioner John Dempsey has been with the Boston Fire Department for 35 years.
He says while most people might think this is bad timing, he doesn’t see it that way.
“Some people would want to shy away from this but being a firefighter my whole life, my whole career, 35 years, these are the types of moments where you want to step up and show what you can do,” Dempsey said.
Dempsey says he has jumped right in, before being permanently promoted on Friday, he was named interim commissioner last month, just as the COVID-19 pandemic began.
“The main thing was to make sure the department stayed intact and that we had the proper staffing that we could deliver these services,” Dempsey said.
Dempsey is in charge of more than 1,400 men and women within the department.
He says they are trying some new things when it comes to the virus, like keeping firefighters within the same firehouse.
“In the past, prior to this, we would detail people across the city or if they had overtime, they’d work in a different firehouse. We stopped all that. What that did was keep it from spreading if somebody was sick, we wouldn’t be spreading it from firehouse to firehouse,” Dempsey said.
They also make each firefighter fill out a self-monitoring form before starting any shift. If they have symptoms, they go home.
Dempsey says he also had some difficult decisions to make.
“We had to stop the vacations, we had to stop the communal meals in the firehouse which is something firefighters love,” Dempsey said. “I’m not only concerned with the firefighter’s health and safety, but I’m also concerned with their families, so I didn’t want them – you get sick at work, you bring that home.”
Commissioner Dempsey believes it’s working. Only 11 firefighters have tested positive for COVID-19.
“Everybody here raised their hands, wanting to protect the citizens of Boston and do the job. It’s not the same thing as a fire, but this is what we do and they continue to do it every single day. I’m very proud,” Dempsey said.
Unlike other major city fire departments across the country, Dempsey says they did start a new recruit class, but they are taking the same precautions. He says this helps ensure he has enough staff in the future and gives people a job when they need it most.
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