BOSTON FIRE DEPARTMENT ADDS 53 WHILE REMEMBERING BACK BAY FALLEN
01/17/2015
The 53 men who joined the Boston Fire Department Friday were the first class of recruits under Commissioner Joseph Finn and the first since a wind-whipped fire in the Back Bay killed two of their own on a cold March day in 2014, reports The Boston Globe.
The loss of Boston Fire Lieutenant Edward Walsh Jr. and Firefighter Michael R. Kennedy was witnessed by Mayor Martin J. Walsh, who said that what he saw that day inspired him throughout his first year in office -- and will for years to come.
"To me, I was in awe watching this fire," Walsh told the recruits and hundreds of their loved ones at Florian Hall in Dorchester. "This was the ultimate meaning of public service. It reaffirmed to me that this city is full of brave and selfless individuals who will lay down their own lives for others."
Walsh also pointed out that the on-scene commander on March 26, 2014, was Finn, whom Walsh later named commissioner. It fell to Finn to order all firefighters out of the building just before it was rocked by an explosion that knocked them off their feet.
Finn did not speak about Beacon Street, but did remind the new Boston recruits, all military veterans, that since 9/11, the fire service in the United States has changed forever -- and they must continue to train and educate themselves in the years to come.
"You need to continue to build on those skills until you are the best the city has to offer," Finn said.
In comments that drew chuckles, Finn turned toward the men and said: "I know you won't let me down -- because I’m watching you!"
The loss of Walsh and Kennedy was mentioned at the swearing-in ceremony, but so was the fact that five of the new firefighters represented the next generation of their family following in the footsteps of an older relative.
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