NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The city has a new fire chief with the appointment of Lt. Brent Lefebvre.
Mayor Thomas Bernard made the announcement on Friday.
Lefebvre, a 12-year veteran of the force, will succeed Fire Chief Stephen Meranti who retired in January 2021 after more than 33 years of service. Meranti had continued in the role of chief until his replacement could be named.
"Brent Lefebvre is the right choice to serve as the next fire chief for the city of North Adams," Bernard said in a statement. "In speaking with him, the search committee and I found an experienced firefighter with strong community connections who is ready to assume the fire chief’s leadership and command responsibilities, and to follow the collaborative and distinguished example of Chief Meranti."
Lefebvre holds an associates' degree in fire science from Mount Wachusett Community College and earned a bachelor of science in fire science from Ana Maria College in 2020. He served as a firefighter, lieutenant, and captain with the Clarksburg Volunteer Fire Department from 2001-2009. He joined the North Adams Fire Department in 2009 and was promoted to lieutenant in 2017.
"I would like to thank Mayor Bernard for offering me this opportunity," Lefebvre said. "It's an honor to be chosen as the city's next fire chief and I look forward to serving the community with the same professionalism and dedication as Chief Meranti has for the last 17 years."
Chief Lefebvre will be officially sworn in on Monday, March 22, with a public ceremony to follow at a later date.
If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.
Your Comments
iBerkshires.com welcomes critical, respectful dialogue. Name-calling, personal attacks, libel, slander or foul language is not allowed. All comments are reviewed before posting and will be deleted or edited as necessary.
No Comments
Vermont National Guard Members Depart From North Adams
By Jack GuerinoiBerkshires Staff
About 50 people waved flags to the see the Guardsmen off on their bus. The members were staying in North Adams because of a lack of hotel rooms in Bennington, Vt.
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Residents came together Friday to see some Vermont National Guard members off.
The American Legion Riders organized a send off for a group of 75 or so Guard members who were staying at Hotel Downstreet.
"We are going to escort them to the Bennington Armory," Riders President Mike Lewis said. "They are going to gear up there, and then I am not sure where they are going. I don’t even know if they are all going to the same place."
Fifty or so people met in the Hotel Downstreet parking lot to show their appreciation. They waved flags and held signs. A bagpiper was also present.
The Riders contacted the Fire Department who helped organize the send off. North Adams Police cruisers and Northern Berkshire EMS were also on site to help see the bus off.
Lewis said there was not enough rooms in Bennington for the National Guard members. He added because of the trend to use vacant hotel rooms as low-income housing, the group had to look toward North Adams.
It's not clear where these Guard were off to, but about 500 members of 3-172 Infantry Battalion were expected to go to the Middle East with U.S. Central Command. According to Vermont Digger, this deployment was scheduled prior to the strikes on Iran.
Valedictorian Brayden Michael Canales and salutatorian Carson Daniel Rylander will speak at graduation ceremonies on Thursday, June 4, at 6 p.m. at the high school.
click for more
While the rising price of materials and services are also responsible for this, a significant factor is the expense and delays that are required to meet stringent requirements and regulations. This impacts projects ranging from large developments to renovations by individual homeowners.
click for more