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Needham Bank, Wellesley
Write Ahead, Wellesley

Wellesley Fire Chief Rick DeLorie caps off a 30-year career with department

January 6, 2023 by Deborah Brown Leave a Comment

At a farewell ceremony to mark the retirement of Wellesley Fire Chief Rick DeLorie, over 200 friends, family members, fire chiefs from all over the state, and town employees gathered to say goodbye at the Wellesley Fire Department headquarters on Route 9. DeLorie spent 30 years with the WFD, 14 of those as the top dog leading the town’s 50+ firefighters, administrators, and the special services team.

Wellesley fire department, Rick DeLorie
Select Board members present retiring fire chief Rick DeLorie with a resolution and a framed picture. From left: Rick DeLorie; Colette Aufranc; Tom Ulfelder; Ann-Mara Lanza; Beth Sullivan Woods; and Lise Olney. Photo credit: Stephanie Hawkinson

During a light-hearted ceremony, DeLorie was roasted, applauded, and thanked as he showed up in a professional capacity for Wellesley one last time, looking natty in his dress blues. All DeLorie could do was chuckle warmly when he was tweaked by speakers eager to sing his praises (with a dash of pester).

I’ll spell it out for you

Superintendent David Lussier noted DeLorie’s faithful participation in the yearly town spelling bee, as well as his lackluster performance. “We all had to tell him there was only one ‘r’ in fire,” Lussier said before bragging that “we couldn’t be prouder of our  graduate of Wellesley public schools.”

Police Chief Jack Pilecki, never one to miss a chance to give Rick the business, this time delivered accolades. Pilecki’s so-long basically boiled down to one big lug punching another big lug in the arm so neither one would burst out in tears.

DeLorie climbed many ladders during his career. Some led into burning buildings. Some led to a bachelors and a masters degree from Framingham State. But the one that led to the job as chief was the ladder that most allowed DeLorie to bring others up with him. Whether he was somehow procuring rare personal protective equipment for his department and residents during COVID, serving in industry positions, such as chair of the Metropolitan Fire Chiefs Association, president of the Fire Chiefs Association of Massachusetts, and metro chief of the Massachusetts Fire Training Council, or working with the Special Olympics, the needs of others always came first.

Some parting gifts

Before the program was done, DeLorie had been given certificates galore (from the Select Board and from Representative Alice Peisch’s office); received swag bags of doodads; and was sent off with wardrobe additions of sweatshirts and t-shirts to wear in retirement.

At the end of the program, DeLorie delivered remarks. Now that he’s leaving, I can admit it. Rick, I’ve never been able to understand a word you said when you spoke into a microphone. So no direct quotes from Rick in this story. But I’m willing to wager he thanked one and all profusely.

Wellesley fire department, Rick DeLorie
During DeLorie’s remarks he thanked his wife, Ellie, for always standing by him. “Every day when I wake up and she’s still there and not a document from a lawyer, I feel blessed. She made everything work, no matter what.” Some things DeLorie articulates loud and clear, microphone challenges notwithstanding. Photo by Stephanie Hawkinson.

 

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Filed Under: Careers/jobs, Fire, Safety

Linden Square, Wellesley
Riverbend, Natick

Select Board approves policy to change fire chief supervision

December 1, 2022 by Bob Brown Leave a Comment

Wellesley Fire Chief Rick DeLorie’s recently announced retirement after 14 years in charge set off a series of discussions among the town’s Select Board about hiring and supporting DeLorie’s successor.

The discussions began with selection of a consulting firm to handle the executive recruitment for the position, and the town chose to go with Municipal Resources after Wellesley Executive Director Meghan Jop interviewed 3 consulting firms. Brian Duggan from the firm described an extensive process that includes an assessment center component that simulates the job of a fire chief and includes role-playing exercises based on scenarios “ripped from the headlines” (See Wellesley Media recording of Nov. 7 Select Board meeting about 1 hour, 47 minutes in).

Duggan addressed questions from Board members Ann-Mara Lanza and Beth Sullivan Woods about the Board’s role in the process. Duggan said it will depend on the candidate pool, but could involve Board input at the start to help inform the assessment center design; may involve observation at the assessment center; and then could include interviews with the final 3 prospects in a more public setting.

Later in that Nov. 7 meeting, the Board discussed a proposed policy to delegate to Jop the authority to appoint, evaluate, discipline, remove, and provide day-to-day administration over the chief. Appointment and removal would require Board ratification. This issue was originally part of the discussion over the executive director’s contract, but was broken out separately.

“The purpose of this policy is really to set up our incoming fire chief for success…” said Board Chair Lise Olney. “I certainly feel strongly that the executive director is best equipped to help him or her navigate in that new role. We don’t work day-to-day with the chief, and the new chief is going to need direct and immediate access to that supervisor as they settle into the job.”

What’s more, having Jop evaluate the chief’s performance would take that process out of the public meeting format at a time when the new chief is coming up to speed, said Olney, who added that the policy could always be changed back down the road. Under the proposed changes, Jop said the fire chief would be worked into the regular biweekly meeting rotation she already has with department heads from facilities and other groups in town.

Town Counsel Tom Harrington said “It’s clear to me that the board is well within its rights to delegate what authority it has over the fire department to the executive director if it so chooses… It’s not unusual in other towns for the fire chief to report to whatever they call their executive director.” One justification for this is having the fire chief report to a member of the “daytime government” staff working at town hall vs. the “nighttime government” that includes the elected volunteers on the Select Board, he said.

The policy initially under discussion expanded upon Article 19.7 of the town bylaw, which includes a list of those positions—including fire chief—that the Select Board shall appoint.

Lanza questioned the notion of the Board delegating the authority to appoint a chief to the executive director. “I think it is expected by the community that we take this responsibility,” she said, acknowledging that she was open to the idea of day-to-day oversight being more appropriate for the director.

Sullivan Woods questioned what the town would be “trying to fix” through the proposed policy, citing the current “collaborative system” that she says works well. She also wondered if this could eventually lead to the Board delegating authority to hire and supervise the police chief to the executive director. Olney said the impetus for the policy being discussed was the fire chief’s retirement.

Board member Tom Ulfelder said “I don’t quite understand the consternation over the appointment or termination issue…I really don’t think there’s a great deal of difference between how we’ve been operating and how we would be operating other than recognizing the value of having the executive director as the person most familiar with the day-to-day operations of the department raising issues of concern or identifying the best candidates for our consideration…” At a later meeting Ulfelder said the current evaluation process itself, which he described as “the most cumbersome, ineffective process that I have seen in town government,” supports a change.

The discussion included familiar arguments from Wellesley’s 2016 debate over whether to hire a town manager.

When the fire chief discussion was picked up again at the Nov. 22 Select Board meeting (about 2 hours, 39 minutes into the Wellesley Media recording), the proposed policy had changed and was now expanding on Article 22 (devoted to the fire department) of the town bylaw.

Olney said she had removed language related to the appointment of the fire chief given the earlier Board member concerns, and this version focused more on delegating the supervisory authority. She stressed later that delegation of authority related to the fire chief does not relieve the Board of its responsibility over the Fire Department.

Still, Sullivan Woods said, “for me it feels that we are disengaging.”

In addressing the question of why the town would consider such a new policy, Board member Colette Aufranc said she was struck during the recent introduction to the fire chief search consultant just how technical the fire department is. This, she said, illustrated “how critical it is that somebody in that department has access really on a daily basis with their supervisor and we’re [the Board] not there to do that…” The municipal professional staff has skills that the Board doesn’t, she said, despite what she’s learned about the fire department during her tenure on the Board.

The joys of group editing a document live and in public were on full display as the meeting went on. So were the intricacies of town rules as laid out in policies vs. bylaws.

In the end, not without more efforts to rework the policy’s wording, the Board voted 3-2 in favor of the policy.


fire chief


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Filed Under: Fire, Government

Page Waterman, Wellesley
London Harness, Wellesley
Wellesley Lacrosse

Wellesley Fire Chief DeLorie announces retirement after 30 years as a firefighter

November 1, 2022 by Bob Brown 1 Comment

Wellesley Fire Chief Rick DeLorie announced his retirement (effective Jan. 5) during Tuesday night’s Select Board meeting after he introduced lieutenant promotions and new firefighters.

The Wellesley High grad has been a firefighter for some 30 years, and has served as chief of the Wellesley Fire Department for about 14. DeLorie thanked his family, which has a rich history in firefighting. DeLorie followed his brother into the Wellesley department, and his wife’s father was a fire chief.

“It’s been 30 years for me and it’s rewarding on so many levels, most of all the opportunity to be a firefighter in my hometown,” said DeLorie, who remarked on working with so many good people locally and in other communities, both in firefighting and related fields, such as health and police.

Wellesley's Wonderful Weekend, Fire Chief Rick DeLorie
Wellesley’s Wonderful Weekend, Fire Chief Rick DeLorie

 

DeLorie’s leadership has extended behind his own department into industry positions, such as chair of the Metropolitan Fire Chiefs Association, president of the Fire Chiefs Association of Massachusetts, and metro chief of the Massachusetts Fire Training Council.

The chief thanked the Select Board for allowing him to continue his training while on the job, and that training has introduced him to new opportunities, including with the Special Olympics, where earlier this year he served as a public safety deputy chief of operations for the summer games. DeLorie said that opportunity has opened doors for him to do more work in that area going forward.

DeLorie says his favorite experience locally has been working on the annual Thanksgiving dinner for seniors, but also cited the summer youth academy, 9/11 memorial events, and the Boston Marathon as rewarding experiences. The Wellesley Spelling Bee… well, that’s a sore subject. “I am a Wellesley High School graduate, I am looking for a rebate… We’re just looking not to be the first ones to go out,” he said.

Select Board members shared their appreciation for DeLorie’s work, and recognized there will be a more formal opportunity to do so closer to his actual retirement date.

Select Board Chair Lise Olney described DeLorie’s impending departure as “a pretty momentous change for our community.” She said: “I know those years have required a lot of sacrifice from you and your family. You’ve answered the light night phone calls and missed family dinners, and just stepped into I’m sure countless emergencies at a moment’s notice.” What’s more, Olney cited DeLorie’s heart through his leadership and participation in events like those with seniors and other members of the community.


Among the good hands DeLorie will be leaving the fire department in are those of Steve Indresano, a 20-year veteran of the team, and Donald Toli, a 24-year veteran, to the rank of lieutenant.

Earlier this year, Assistant Fire Chief Jeff Peterson retired, and Nat Brady was recently named to fill that role.

Wellesley also announced the hiring of firefighters Angelo Madden (a Wellesley High grad) and Corey Ronan. A couple more hiring announcements are planned for later in the month.


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Filed Under: Fire, Government

Sara Campbell, Wellesley

Fired up for Halloween in Wellesley

November 1, 2022 by Bob Brown Leave a Comment

The Windsor/Inverness/Lincoln neighborhood has an annual Halloween party, ending with a parade around the triangle. This year the Wellesley Fire Department kindly came, which was a huge hit. They led the parade…

(Photos shared by a Swellesley supporter.)

halloween party

halloween partyhalloween party


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Filed Under: Fire, Holidays, Kids

Wellesley’s 9/11 monuments

September 11, 2022 by Bob Brown Leave a Comment

Learn about Wellesley’s 9/11 memorial tree and 9/11 monument and flag.

9/11 tree at Simons Park

firefighter, police monument, near Local

Filed Under: Fire, History, Military, Police

Deland, Gibson, Wellesley
Rick Cram, leader

Wellesley first responders put out truck fire

September 10, 2022 by Bob Brown Leave a Comment

The Wellesley Fire Department and Wellesley Police Department responded to a truck fire at Washington Street and Upland Road on Friday mid-afternoon, and were able to clear the area in less 90 minutes. There were no reports of injuries.

Fire Chief Rick DeLorie lauded Deputy Donahue and Group C for “a great job knocking down the fire” at both the truck and surrounding trees.

truck fire upland and washington

https://www.facebook.com/SwellesleyReport/videos/619857729729954

WPD and WFD are in Upland Road with a truck fire. pic.twitter.com/ADcus7HzC0

— Wellesley Police (@WellesleyPolice) September 9, 2022


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Filed Under: Fire, Police

9/11 observances in Wellesley

September 8, 2022 by Bob Brown 1 Comment

9/11 observances

Filed Under: Fire, Government, Neighbors, Police

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