Worcester City Manager Edward Augustus Jr. submitted to the City Council on Monday a 248-page report that examined every aspect of the Worcester Fire Department, including how it can better prevent line-of-duty deaths.
Since 1999, the city has suffered the loss of nine firefighters who all died while battling blazes. The department also suffered another line of duty death in July 2019 when Lt. John Kennedy died after fighting a fire. Kennedy’s death however, was not mentioned in the ESCI report. The consulting company, which began its research in August of 2020, provided the city with 10 recommendations to improve the department that range from a complete overhaul of leadership to improved support service staffing.
“We have an extremely talented group of individuals that want to do a great job,” Deputy Fire Chief Martin Dyer said in an interview.