DALTON, Mass. — A resident of the town gave a $250 donation to the Fire District, citing the Fire Department's "outstanding assistance, compassion, and kindness."

 

The department's Fire Chief, Christian Tobin, made the announcement during the Board of Water Commissioners meeting last month. 

 

The resident, Carol Silverman, wrote a letter along with the donation thanking the firefighters who have responded to her 911 calls for her husband, Shlomo Silman, who is 91 1/2  years old and has taken ill on many occasions over the last three to four years. The letter was read out loud to the board. 

 

The firefighters had "been so wonderful in their assistance. Tyler [Colby], in particular, has been exemplary in providing assistance, e.g. whenever my husband fell or was having breathing issues," she wrote the district. 

 

This donation says the firefighters are out there doing a wonderful job every day for the citizens of Dalton and neighboring communities when called upon for emergencies, Tobin said afterward. 

 

"They're doing an outstanding job delivering the service everybody expects, and they do it every day. A lot of times, they don't get thanks, and so it's nice to hear 'Thank you' from the community and the people who we are serving firsthand. It makes everybody feel very good," Tobin said. 

 

In the modern age, 75 percent of what the Fire Department does is emergency medical care, he said. 

 

This needs to be acknowledged and the department needs to grow that because the town has an aging population, Tobin said. "The best way to serve the town of Dalton is to be prepared for those changes and to modernize and to recognize where the future is leading us."

 

It is also important for the department to have a close relationship with the community because they are part of the community, the chief continued. 

 

This donation demonstrates that the Dalton firefighters are doing just that, he said. 

 

"They're here for the community, and it's the community that is reciprocal. The community supports the Fire Department, and the Fire Department supports the community, and we can see that," Tobin said.