East Bridgewater Selects New Fire Chief

Captain John Dzialo of Easton Fire Department to Lead East Bridgewater Fire Department

EAST BRIDGEWATER - April 7 - The East Bridgewater Select Board has unanimously chosen John Dzialo as the town's new fire chief after interviewing multiple candidates during their meeting Monday evening.

Dzialo, currently a captain with the Easton Fire Department, brings nearly 18 years of experience and a background in both public and private sectors to the position.

"I've been with Easton just under 18 years. I've worked my way up through the ranks from firefighter to lieutenant to captain," Dzialo told the board during his interview. "I'm also a paramedic."

The board interviewed Dzialo and George Doucette, a captain from Norwell Fire Department, before making their decision. Both candidates impressed the board with their qualifications and experience.

"We had two fantastic candidates that I think would be a good fit for the town of East Bridgewater," said Select Board Chair David Sheedy before the vote.

Dzialo's experience in grant writing and his background in finance prior to joining the fire service were highlighted as particular strengths by board members.

"I liked his enthusiasm, and I liked that he had some financial background and things outside of the public sector," said board member Carole Julius, who made the motion to offer Dzialo the position.

Before joining the fire service, Dzialo spent seven years in finance, which he says gives him a different perspective on budgetary matters.

"I think I bring a different mindset or perspective when it comes to contract talks, negotiation, budget shortfalls. Because sometimes we don't see the forest through the trees when numbers and that stuff comes out," Dzialo explained.

In his current role, Dzialo serves as a shift captain and has taken on various leadership positions including safe coordinator, training officer, and fire prevention officer.

As fire prevention officer, Dzialo was involved in commercial and residential plan reviews, code enforcement, and inspections for the entire town of Easton. He also participated in major building projects including Stonehill College's welcome center and a new elementary school.

"I learned an impressive amount during the 5 and 1/2 years that I was in that role," Dzialo said of his time as fire prevention officer.

The board noted that Dzialo's experience with building projects could be valuable as East Bridgewater considers a new safety building. Vice Chair Peter Spagone mentioned that the town has started discussions about a potential new facility.

"Former Chief Tim Harhen, as well as Police Chief, have got together and started a group to start discussing that and what the potential is," Spagone said.

Dzialo confirmed he has relevant experience in this area, noting that Easton recently broke ground on a new public safety building.

"I have experience working with that transition and trying to fight for that in my current job and certainly would take on that undertaking moving forward as well," he said.

When asked about his leadership style, Dzialo described himself as primarily democratic.

"I think it's important to get the opinions, not for everything, but get the opinions for those who you work with," he said, while acknowledging that different situations sometimes call for different leadership approaches.

Dzialo emphasized the importance of communication in leadership, particularly when dealing with retention issues that many fire departments face.

"Strong communication. It's the foundation of any good organization. If it's going to run well, there has to be strong communication," he said.

The new chief lives in Bridgewater, about 5.5 miles from the East Bridgewater fire station, and is familiar with the community.

"Born and raised in Bridgewater, so just down the street. I know in researching what's going on in the fire department or where the fire department is now, it seems very similar to what we dealt with in Easton," Dzialo said.

In addition to his professional qualifications, Dzialo highlighted his community involvement, including serving on the board of directors of a local nonprofit and coaching youth sports.

The Select Board's decision comes after a lengthy search process. Board members indicated they had previously identified a strong candidate in an earlier round of interviews who ultimately did not take the position.

Other business at the meeting included:

• A decision to keep town elections at the junior-senior high school rather than moving them to the middle school after learning that notifying voters of the change would cost approximately $6,000

• Town Clerk Kathleen Cavanagh reported that while the middle school was deemed suitable for elections, the cost of mailing notifications to every registered voter made the move impractical at this time

The meeting concluded with the unanimous vote to offer the fire chief position to Dzialo, with all three board members expressing confidence in their selection.

Full meeting available via EBCAM.