Waltham Fire Lieutenant Earns 2023 Kevin Ritcey Public Service Award

WALTHAM, MA — A Waltham Fire Department lieutenant is the recipient of the city's 2023 Kevin M. Ritcey Award for Outstanding Public Service.

The award, presented on Monday, was established in 2016 to honor Kevin Ritcey. The 2023 award was earned by Lt. James "Jim" Perry.

"Perry was nominated by several of his peers as an individual who has provided extraordinary public service to the City of Waltham & our community," according to a social media post from the city.

Former Waltham Fire Department Chief Tom MacInnis described Perry as their Department’s “Anchor”.

"He played a critical role during the challenging COVID-19 pandemic, and dedicated himself 24/7 to the public health and safety of his department and our city," city officials said, crediting him with keeping the department running at full capacity during the pandemic.

“There’s been a lot of words said about Lt Perry tonight," said Waltham Councilor Anthony LaFauci.

"He’s a man of very few words, but the one word that does come out always is family. He speaks highly of his family at home, his family in his department, and his family in the city. He’d do anything for any of us."