Westborough, Meet Your New Fire Chief

Westborough, MA - Patrick Purcell first became a firefighter in October of 1989 for the town of Oxford. He was hired by Westborough in July 1999 as a firefighter/paramedic and worked his way up through the ranks, making lieutenant, then captain.

Now, he’s Westborough’s fire chief, promoting Purcell from captain to chief in October. 

“I had worked as a Paramedic at Worcester EMS and then a firefighter at Oxford,” said Chief Purcell. “I saw an opportunity to do both in an excellent community. I am proud to represent the 45 hard working men and women of the Westborough Fire Department and if were not for their hard work I may not have succeeded within our organization as well as a did.”

What do you think will bring to the department as chief? I think I will bring strong leadership, fiscal responsibility, and provide a customer friendly organization that really makes an impact on the community. I believe I can provide transparency that the citizens deserve, and also continue to be respectful of the cultures and traditions of the fire service.

What are some things that firefighters do that the general public doesn’t realize they do? A lot community outreach. We provide student fire and education awareness to preschools, Kindergarten through Grade 3, and we are about to begin working with high school seniors. We provide Child Passenger Safety Seat inspections to more than 500 families per year, which includes car seat education. We work with the Westborough Senior Center to coordinate (and fund through grants) educational programs for our “older adult population” throughout the year. The programs we offer are now going year-round.

What is the most memorable fire/emergency situation you’ve been involved in during your career? There have been so many memorable situations but the incidents that have have the biggest impact on me were working as a paramedic for Worcester EMS at both the Worcester Cold Storage fire on Dec. 3, 1999, and the Arlington Street fire in Worcester on Dec. 8, 2011. These fires resulted in firefighter fatalities and are directly responsible for how I operate today. I am a strong advocate for training, safety, and accountability. I think that what the Worcester fire has done to educate other firefighters as a result of these incidents is positively affecting how we prepare for emergencies today..