Mass Housing and Shelter Alliance Honors Former Pittsfield Mayor

10:37AM / Tuesday, May 21, 2024Print Story | Email Story

BOSTON — Former Pittsfield Mayor Linda Tyer was among those honored by the Massachusetts Housing & Shelter Alliance (MHSA) at its annual Home for Good fundraiser and award ceremony on Thursday, May 16 at WBUR CitySpace in Boston.

Tyer, along with Quincy Mayor Thomas P. Koch and Brockton Mayor Robert F. Sullivan, received the prestigious Canon Brian S. Kelley Public Service Award from MHSA which recognizes individuals who are commited to ending homelessness.

Inaugurated as the Mayor of the City of Pittsfield for a second four-year term in January 2020, Tyer was the first mayor in Pittsfield's history to be elected to a four-year term. In January 2024, Mayor Tyer stepped down from office and now serves as the Executive Director of Workforce Development and Community Education at Berkshire Community College.

At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in the spring of 2020, Mayor Tyer assembled the City of Pittsfield's COVID-19 Task Force. For more than a year, a team comprised of city and school officials, law enforcement, first responders, leadership from the Sheriff's Office, Berkshire Medical Center, and the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency worked to ensure that the Pittsfield community had what it needed to remain safe during this unprecedented public health crisis.

"Mayor Tyer ably handled all the challenges associated with governing during the pandemic with skill and great sensitivity. She fully supported, embraced, and promoted the Housing First model for those experiencing chronic homelessness," said Joyce Tavon, MHSA's CEO. "Mayor Tyer has worked to find housing solutions for those living in outdoor encampments as well as the wraparound services they need to address their healthcare needs and provide much-needed stability."

The Canon Brian S. Kelley Public Servant Award is named in honor of the late Canon Brian S. Kelley, a longtime advocate to end homelessness who served as the Canon at the Cathedral Church of St. Paul in Boston. Canon Kelley played a founding role in MHSA and other initiatives to end homelessness.

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Berkshire County Firefighters Graduate from Mass Firefighting Academy

05:42PM / Saturday, March 07, 2026

STOW, Mass. — The Massachusetts Firefighting Academy this week graduated 45 firefighters from the 50-day Career Recruit Firefighting Training Program, including six Berkshire County firefighters.

Graduating from Career Recruit Class S44 were Shamus Gaherty of Monterey; Broc Healey, Carolina Jones and Scott Matteson Jr. from Pittsfield; and Paul Hernandez and Michael Meagher of Stockbridge.

"Massachusetts firefighters are on the frontlines protecting their communities every day, and today’s graduates are needed now more than ever," said State Fire Marshal Jon Davine. "The hundreds of hours of foundational training they've received will provide them with the physical, mental, and technical skills to perform their jobs effectively and safely."

Career Recruit Class S44 trained in Springfield. Its 21 members represent the fire departments of Agawam, Holden, Marlborough, Monterey, Northampton, Palmer, Pittsfield, Springfield, Stockbridge, and Turners Falls.

The 24 members of Career Recruit Class BW38 trained in Bridgewater and were expected to graduate last week — but the ceremony was postponed after the Blizzard of 2026 dropped more than 30 inches of snow on the campus. They represent the fire departments of Bourne, Braintree, Cohasset, Duxbury, Fall River, Hanover, Harwich, Kingston, Milton, North Attleboro, Provincetown, Rockland, and Scituate.

Maurice Jarmman Jr. of the Marlborough Fire Department, graduating with S44, and Jacob Warmington of the Duxbury, class BW38, were presented the Richard N. Bangs Outstanding Student Award.

The award is named for a longtime chair of the Massachusetts Fire Training Council and reflects the recruit's academic and practical skills, testing, and evaluations over the course of the 10-week program. It is given to one recruit in each graduating career recruit training class.

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