At Fire Department headquarters on Monday, Mayor Walsh announced the appointment of Boston’s new Fire Commissioner. Succeeding John Hasson, who stepped into the role on an interim basis when Roderick Fraser stepped down, will be Joseph E. Finn.
Finn, 53, of nearby Quincy, has been serving as a deputy fire chief since 2001 and played an integral role in battling the devastating nine-alarm fire that tore through a Back Bay brownstone earlier this year. He’s been a member of the Fire Department since 1984.
In his current role as deputy chief, Finn is charged with all administrative functions designated to a Division Commander as well as fire ground operations, hazardous materials, and technical rescue responses in Division One, notes the mayor’s office.
When Lt. Edward Walsh and Firefighter Michael Kennedy risked their lives by entering the enflamed Back Bay building in March, it was Finn who made the painful choice to evacuate the building upon realizing the true severity of the inferno.
“Honestly, it’s one of the toughest decisions that a chief has to make,’’ James Greene, a district fire chief in the Boston Fire Department, told the Boston Globe.
“Deputy Chief Finn possesses a broad and impressive understanding of the Boston Fire Department, including personnel, public safety, and administration,” said Mayor Walsh.
Interim Commissioner/Chief Hasson has shown exceptional leadership and I’m grateful for his service as he passes the torch to Chief Finn. Chief Finn’s experience and leadership style, along with his commitment to diversity and fairness, will help move our Fire Department into an even more successful era of service to the people of Boston.
Finn was chosen using FACETS, a management consulting firm specializing in firefighter employment, and beat out viable candidates Michael H. Huss, outgoing public safety director in Pittsburgh, and Michael S. Lombardo, a former fire commissioner in Buffalo, according to the Boston Globe.
As noted by WBZ, he also served as chief negotiator for the union during recent contract talks with the city.
Finn will be sworn in to his new position at the helm of the BFD in the coming weeks.
Along with his firefighting duties, Finn has served as part of the Mayor’s task force in which he was able to allow firefighters increased access to EMT-certified training opportunities within the department.
Prior to becoming a Boston firefighter, Finn served honorably as a U.S. Marine from 1979 to 1982. He earned his B.S. in Business Administration from Northeastern University, graduating magna cum laude in 2008.
Screenshot via WCVB
