7 Dedham Firefighters Promoted

DEDHAM, MA — Seven members of the fire department received promotions during a ceremony at last Thursday's selectmen meeting.

Bruce McGraw, William Walsh, Robert DeVincent, Edward Berry, and Richard Staunton were all promoted to fire captain. While, Stephen Lynch was promoted to deputy chief and Kevin O'Brien to lieutenant. Fire Chief William Spillane said he was incredibly proud to promote these seven men.

"Two of my favorite things about being fire chief are hiring new firefighters and also promoting members throughout the ranks," Spillane said.

Spillane said six out of the seven promoted firefighters had an average of 20 years of service with the Dedham Fire Department. He said although O'Brien has been with the department five years, fire service is a part of his family tradition.

O'Brien's father and grandfather were both Dedham firefighters. He was sworn in Thursday night by his father Tom, who has been with the Dedham Fire Department for 42 years.

"These members are here tonight because they dedicated themselves to the fire service and this department as a whole...," Spillane said. "They've all proved themselves repeatedly on the fire grounds."