MA Fire Department Announces New Chief

OXFORD, MA — Monson Fire Chief Laurent R. McDonald has been named the new fire chief of Oxford, Town Manager Jennifer M. Callahan announced on Tuesday.

"Chief McDonald is a highly skilled candidate with significant training, education, certifications and credentials," Callahan said. "He will be a tremendous asset to our public safety team, and it is an honor to welcome him here to the town of Oxford."

Born in Southbridge, McDonald has 38 years of experience as a firefighter. He began his fire services career in the U.S. Air Force, where he served for 21 years as both a firefighter and fire officer.

Before leaving the Air Force, McDonald was responsible for managing all U.S. Department of Defense fire protection training, education and certification programs of 6,000 U.S. Air Force firefighters and more than 20,000 civil service firefighters.

Upon retiring from the Air Force in 2004, McDonald was hired as the first full-time fire chief for the town of Dudley.

McDonald also served for five years as the fire protection/inspection certification manager for the National Fire Protection Association in Quincy. In addition, he served as the director of training for the State Department of Fire Services.

He is an adjunct professor of fire science and service administration at Anna Maria College in Paxton and has his Master in Public Administration in Emergency Services Management.

For the past seven years, McDonald has served as fire chief and emergency management director in Monson.

Deputy Fire Chief Jon T. Belanger has been serving as the acting fire chief of Oxford since Aug. 12, 2018. Before that, Paul D. Ford had served as interim fire chief for Oxford since mid-July 2017.

On March 1, 2010, then Assistant Fire Chief Sheri R. Bemis, who had joined the Fire Department in 1987, became Massachusetts' first full-time female fire chief. On Dec. 10, 2017, Bemis received $75,000 as part of a separation agreement between her and the Board of Selectmen. She filed for retirement in December 2017.

McDonald will be sworn in at 6 p.m. Nov. 21 at the Huguenot Steamer No. 1 Fire Station Museum, 655 Main St. He begins his new job on Nov. 25.

———

©2019 Telegram & Gazette, Worcester, Mass.

Visit Telegram & Gazette, Worcester, Mass. at www.telegram.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.