BOSTON — Northampton Fire Chief Jon M. Davine, who has nearly 25 years of experience as a firefighter, has been selected as the next state fire marshal.

 

By statute, the authority for selecting the state fire marshal rests with the eight-member Fire Service Commission. Davine, who has been chief of Northampton Fire Rescue since 2020, was selected by the commission at its June 15 meeting and will assume his new position on July 31. 

 

He succeeds outgoing State Fire Marshal Peter J. Ostroskey, who has served since 2016. Ostroskey was previously the fire chief in Uxbridge and former deputy director of the Statewide Emergency Telecommunications Board, now is the State 911 Department.

 

"I look forward to working with Chief Davine in his new role as a key leader in the Massachusetts' public safety infrastructure," said Public Safety and Security Secretary Terrence Reidy. "I want to express my most heartfelt appreciation to Marshal Ostroskey for his remarkable life of service, exceptional leadership, and significant contributions to public safety and fire services."

 

After serving four years in the Marine Corps, Davine joined Northampton Fire as a firefighter in 1998 and rose through the ranks to captain, deputy chief, assistant chief, and finally chief in 2020. He currently is the emergency manager for the city of Northampton, a hazardous materials technician on the District 4 Hazardous Materials Response Team, and a member of the Department of Fire Services' Joint Hazard Incident Response Team, with which he works closely with the State Police Bomb Squad. Among other certifications and credentials, he is an emergency medical technician, fire prevention officer and fire inspector. He earned a bachelor's degree in fire service management from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and is a graduate of the Massachusetts Firefighting Academy's Chief Fire Officer Management Training Program.

 

"As a firefighter and a chief, I recognize and value the resources and support that the Department of Fire Services provides to Massachusetts fire departments every day," said Davine. "I'm honored by the trust that the Fire Service Commission has placed in me to lead this vital agency and the dedicated staff across all its divisions, who have given so much to the fire service and the commonwealth."

 

The Department of Fire Services is the sole agency within state government responsible for overall coordination of fire service policy. Through the Firefighting Academy, Fire Safety Division, Hazardous Materials Emergency Response Division, and State Police Fire & Explosion Investigation Unit, it supports firefighter training, fire prevention, code enforcement, public education, licensing, fire investigation, hazardous material response, and emergency support for all of Massachusetts' fire departments and the communities they protect.