Gino Lucchetti To Be Next Newton Fire Chief: Mayor

NEWTON, MA — Newton may have a new fire chief. Mayor Ruthanne Fuller has picked Assistant Chief Gino P. Lucchetti to lead the Newton Fire Department, after Chief Bruce Proia announced his retirement earlier this year.

The city’s selection process, which included both interviews and an assessment of competencies by a skilled panel of independent experts, confirmed that Assistant Chief Lucchetti has a "deep understanding of and commitment to" the Newton Fire Department, according to the mayor's office.

He will take over the department as acting fire chief on Wednesday, May 1, and once the city council approves him, he will be officially the chief.

“He is a ‘firefighter’s firefighter,;" Fuller said in a statement. "As Assistant Chief, he has spent many hours with fellow leaders across the City, forging close working relationships that will prove valuable as he becomes Chief of the Department. He has displayed his ability to be a leader and a listener simultaneously, intertwined traits that I admire.”

She praised his judgment, ethical standards and leadership qualities.

"For all these reasons, he is my clear choice,” she said.

Lucchetti, who is a lifelong resident of Newton, said he was honored.

“Chief Proia and I have built a strong foundation over the past five years and I look forward to keeping the department progressing forward as one of the best fire departments in the United States,” he said in a statement.

Lucchetti joined the Newton Fire Department in January 1986 and served at Station 1, Ladder 3. He is a certified Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) and has been through trainings at the Massachusetts Fire Academy in arson awareness, terrorism response, explosives and bomb threat procedures, vehicle extrication and first responder operations.

He was promoted to lieutenant and served as company officer of Station 2, Ladder 1 from January 1991 to July 2003. He then served as a captain from July 2003 to 2011. He was promoted to deputy chief and shift commander in 2011 and served in that role for four years.

Since 2015, he has been the assistant chief and chief of operations, second-in-command to Proia. He has managed fires and emergencies, and been responsible for daily scheduling of department personnel, coordinating the activities of the bureaus, participating in union negotiations and budget preparations and overseeing departmental office functions.

The mayor called him "superbly qualified."

He will also serve as the emergency management director for the city and will be the leader in emergency prevention, protection, mitigation, response and recovery planning and management.

“I am deeply grateful to Chief Bruce Proia for his 41 years of exceptional service to the Newton Fire Department," said Fuller. Proia, actually isn't going far. He'll continue to work alongside the new chief as director of emergency operations in a part time role.

Patch reporter Jenna Fisher can be reached at Jenna.Fisher@patch.com or by calling 617-942-0474. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram (@ReporterJenna).