BCC to Hold Talk on State Fire Marshall History

11:32AM / Monday, May 05, 2025Print Story | Email Story

PITTSFIELD, Mass — Berkshire Community College (BCC)'s Fire Science Program welcomes guest speaker Joshua Stanley to present "The History of the Massachusetts State Fire Marshal's Office: Transforming Tragedy into Progress" on Tuesday, May 6 at 6 p.m.

Local firefighters, BCC students and the public are invited to attend.

The free talk will be held in Melville Hall, Room 317, located on BCC's main campus at 1350 West Street, Pittsfield. It will also be available online. To register for the Zoom session, visit www.berkshirecc.edu/fire-history.

Shanley's presentation demonstrates how historic fires, explosions and building collapses in Massachusetts shaped the creation and evolution of the State Fire Marshal's Office. Case studies and lessons learned show how tragedy led to changes in fire prevention, investigation and public safety across the Commonwealth.

"The history of firefighting in Massachusetts is a colorful one. So much progress has been made, especially in the areas of firefighting technology and training. Josh Shanley shines a light on this fascinating topic, and we are so pleased to be able to host this talk," said Daniel Garner, BCC Adjunct Faculty – Fire Science.

Shanley is a media specialist with the Massachusetts Firefighting Academy, Department of Fire Services. He is an experienced emergency management professional, author and educator with over 30 years of experience in public safety, including roles as a firefighter-paramedic, emergency management director and consultant. He was a firefighter/paramedic in Northampton and Amherst for a combined 25 years, currently serving on the Exercise Support Unit for the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency.

As the author of several historical works, including "Cold War Massachusetts," "Northampton Fires and Firefighting" and "The Connecticut River Valley Flood of 1936," Shanley explores the legacy of civil defense, disaster response and emergency planning. With advanced degrees in emergency management, education and business, Shanley has a unique perspective that blends historical insight with practical experience in modern emergency management and resilience planning.

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Healey Announces Housing Development Supports at Former Pittsfield Bank

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
05:29PM / Tuesday, February 17, 2026

Gov. Maura Healey poses with the bank's old safe. The building is being refurbished for housing by Allegrone Companies. The project is being supported by a commercial tax credit and a $1.8M MassWorks grant for infrastructure improvements.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Gov. Maura Healey stood in the former Berkshire County Savings Bank on Tuesday to announce housing initiatives that are expected to bring more than 1,300 units online.

"People come here from all over the world. We want them to stay here, and we want kids who grew up here to be able to afford to stay here, but the problem is that for decades, we just weren't building enough housing to keep up with demand," she said.

"And you guys know what happens when there isn't enough supply: prices go up. We have among the lowest vacancy rates in the country, so against that challenge, we made it our priority from day one to build more homes as quickly as possible."

Approximately $8.4 million from the new Commercial Conversion Tax Credit Initiative (CCTCI) is designed help communities transform empty or rundown commercial buildings into new homes along with $139.5 million in low-income housing tax credits and subsidies through the Affordable Housing Development grant program.

The historic 24 North St. with a view of Park Square has been vacant for about two years, and Allegrone Companies plans to redevelop it and 30-34 North St. into 23 mixed-income units. The administration announced its Commercial Conversion Tax Credit Initiative (CCTCI) and the Affordable Housing Development grant program as ways to aid housing production, both of which Pittsfield will benefit from.

The state is partnering with Hearthway for the construction of 47 affordable units on Linden Street, utilizing the former Polish Community Club and new construction, and Allegrone for its redevelopment of the block.

The Linden Street project is one of the 15 rental developments the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities is supporting through $25.7 million in federal low-income housing tax credits, $32.4 million in state low-income housing tax credits, and $81.4 million in subsidies.

Allegrone's project is supported by the commercial tax credit and was recently awarded $1,800,000 from the MassWorks Infrastructure Program.

Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll said she fully comprehends the importance of housing and how crushing it is in communities that need it and want to build, but face difficulties with high construction costs.

"Housing is the key to keeping people in the community in a safe way and giving them an opportunity to fill those many roles that we need throughout the Commonwealth in cities and towns, large and small, urban and rural, these are all important work. Having somebody fix your boiler, fix your car, we want those individuals to be able to live in our communities as well, particularly in our gateway cities," she said.

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