EASTHAMPTON — Captain Wayne Hennemann has been hired as deputy fire chief of the Easthampton Fire Department, restoring a position that has been vacant for years.
The fire department will have a swearing in and badge pinning ceremony for Hennemann, who has served on the department for 22 years, at 10 a.m. Wednesday, Dec. 27 at the Public Safety Complex, 32 Payson Ave.
Fire Chief David Mottor said the deputy fire chief position has been left vacant since 2004 due to budget constraints, and was temporarily filled from 2007 to 2009.
In September, Mottor requested $37,050 to fund 26 weeks of base pay for the position. In a memo to Mayor Karen Cadieux, Mottor said that while the elimination of the deputy chief’s position back in 2004 did save money, the operations of the department suffered immediately.
With no deputy fire chief, the in-house training program was eventually cut and all public education programs were discontinued.
As deputy fire chief, Hennemann will oversee ambulance operations, serve as the department training officer and the emergency management director, working with state and federal authorities when there is a natural disaster.
He’ll also serve as the firefighter safety officer. If there’s a structure fire, Mottor said Hennemann will serve as an “extra set of eyes,” watching the scene to see how to put out the fire and for any signs of danger such as if the structure will collapse. This is a role that was served by a Northampton firefighter through an agreement with the neighboring city.
Caitlin Ashworth can be reached at cashworth@gazettenet.com.