Dalton Fire Chief Swearing in Ceremony Monday

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
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DALTON, Mass. — The Fire District is inviting community members to a swearing-in ceremony for the new fire chief on Monday, Jan. 29, at 6 p.m. in the Stationary Factory. 
 
During its meeting on Tuesday, the district announced it has hired Berkshire County native
Christian Tobin as Fire Department's 10th permanent fire chief.
 
The district combed through 15 applications for the position and selected Tobin, who they felt was a good fit. 
 
"We feel he has a lot of common sense and knowledge in the Fire Department and in the running of the fire department and hopefully everything will work out from this point forward," Driscoll said during a conversation with iBerkshires. 
 
Tobin has 24 years of experience in the field and just recently retired as a deputy chief of operations for the Greater Naples Fire Rescue District in the state of Florida. He is also a veteran of the Marine Corps.
 
He holds a bachelor of science in public safety administration and a master's degree in public administration. In addition, he is a candidate for a juris masters in legal studies at Hodges University in Fort Myers, Fla.
 
"Chief Tobin is committed to community engagement and proactive fire prevention. He hopes to spearhead new outreach initiatives collaborating with local schools, community organizations, and businesses to raise awareness about fire safety with fire prevention programs," a press release from the district states. 
 
"It is his belief that fostering strong relationships with community stakeholders helps build trust and enhances overall community resilience.”
 
The district has been searching for a new fire chief since May after the previous chief, James Peltier, was placed on administrative leave and subsequently fired.  
 
"The district has gone through an exhaustive search looking for a new chief to replace Jim Peltier that was released in mid-summer. We feel that the new chief will bring the department together," Fire District Chair James Driscoll said in an interview with iBerkshires. 
 
Retired Pittsfield Fire Chief Robert Czerwinski, who agreed to act as interim chief, will remain with the department until the new chief takes over.
 
Since Peltier's exit, the district has gone through three interim chiefs. 
 
Chris Cachat was initially selected as the interim chief but then retired; Corey Wilcox took his place but could only do it for a limited time period because he had already accepted a position with the Pittsfield Fire Department. 

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Letter: Is the Select Board Listening to Dalton Voters?

Letter to the Editor

To the Editor:

A reasonable expectation by the people of a community is that their Select Board rises above personal preference and represents the collective interests of the community. On Tuesday night [Nov. 12], what occurred is reason for concern that might not be true in Dalton.

This all began when a Select Board member submitted his resignation effective Oct. 1 to the Town Clerk. Wishing to fill the vacated Select Board seat, in good faith I followed the state law, prepared a petition, and collected the required 200-plus signatures of which the Town Clerk certified 223. The Town Manager, who already had a copy of the Select Board member's resignation, was notified of the certified petitions the following day. All required steps had been completed.

Or had they? At the Oct. 9 Select Board meeting when Board members discussed the submitted petition, there was no mention about how they were informed of the petition or that they had not seen the resignation letter. Then a month later at the Nov. 12 Select Board meeting we learn that providing the resignation letter and certified petitions to the Town Manager was insufficient. However, by informing the Town Manager back in October the Select Board had been informed. Thus, the contentions raised at the Nov. 12 meeting by John Boyle seem like a thinly veiled attempt to delay a decision until the end of January deadline to have a special election has passed.

If this is happening with the Special Election, can we realistically hope that the present Board will listen to the call by residents to halt the rapid increases in spending and our taxes that have been occurring the last few years and pass a level-funded budget for next year, or to not harness the taxpayers in town with the majority of the cost for a new police station? I am sure these issues are of concern to many in town. However, to make a change many people need to speak up.

Please reach out to a Select Board member and let them know you are concerned and want the Special Election issue addressed and finalized at their Nov. 25 meeting.

Robert E.W. Collins
Dalton, Mass.

 

 

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