After spending more than three decades climbing up the ranks of the Tewksbury Fire Department, Joseph Kearns became the town’s new fire chief last week, following the retirement of Michael Hazel, who notched nearly a decade of service to the community.
“Both Chief Hazel and I are very lucky with the department we have. The members of the Tewksbury Fire Department are just outstanding workers, the service they give to the residents is second to none,” Kearns said. “It’s an honor to be able to say that I now lead them.”
Kearns joined the department in 1988 as an on-call firefighter, before becoming a dispatcher in 1992, a full-time firefighter in 1995, a lieutenant in 2015 and then a captain in 2018. Additionally, he has served as president of the Tewksbury Firefighters Union Local 1647 for 14 years and has extensive experience as a volunteer youth sports coach.