Pedercini Chosen Chief of Williamstown Fire Dept.
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — Craig A. Pedercini, a 15-year member of the Williamstown Fire Department, has been chosen as fire chief, succeeding Chief Edward M. McGowan.
Pedercini was chosen by unanimous vote from among five candidates at a special meeting of the Prudential Committee Monday. McGowan, chief since 1986, has chosen to retire effective Dec. 31, taking early retirement.
The fire chief, technically called the chief engineer, is the only full-time employee of the Williamstown Fire District, which is governed by the Prudential Committee.
Pedercini and his wife, the former Karen Goodman, live on North Hoosac Road. Yesterday, Pedercini, 42, talked about the workings of the 30-member volunteer department, and some of his hopes for his tenure as its chief.
Unlike some departments, he said, "we've got a number of people available during the day."
"One of my goals is recruiting. To get people interested in helping our community, which is their community," said Pedercini. "We have a decent roster of people, but we could use more."
"It's tough to get people to make that commitment, especially for a volunteer department," he said. "We just don't get as many people knocking on the doors anymore."
Pedercini has been one of the department's deputy chiefs for the past half dozen years. He is also one of four who are employed at Williams College, which he praises for letting firefighters leave work to respond to calls. And, he said, three members are Williams students, including the department's only female firefighter. The presence of Williams students in the department is nothing new, he said. "We've always had Williams students."
Pedercini has lived in Williamstown since he was 10 years old, and attended the elementary school, junior high school at Mount Greylock, and McCann Technical School, from which he graduated in 1978 after training in plant maintenance and carpentry. He conducts preventive maintenance on the Williams mechanical plant, with its department of buildings and grounds. Among his favorite activities in the department has been fire prevention, a mission that brings him in contact with day care youngsters and schoolchildren.
"They"ll remember you," he said, smiling. "They wave to you. And of course the kids across the street (at the Williamstown Community Day Care Center) run to the fence to look whenever the trucks go out.
"That age, that's the key," he said.
Pedercini has also been a prime mover in holding open houses at the station, where firefighters hand out balloons, serve refreshments, and introduce visitors to the firefighting equipment.
"We want people to come see their equipment," he said. "We have some of the best equipment of any department in Berkshire County."
This includes a tower truck, three engines, the newest being Engine 1, and the newly purchased Amicus rescue tool, similar to the Jaws of Life, for extricating trapped motorists from their vehicles. Pedercini said coordination and cooperation among the three components of emergency response is good, despite the fact that they are three separate entities. The police department is a town department; Village Ambulance is a private association, and the fire department is operated by the Prudential Committee, whose members are town elected officials. The fire district provides fire protection and street lighting to the town.
"I think it works well," he said. "It's just a very well-oiled machine here."
McGowan's father was chief before him, and his son, Scott, is a member of both the fire and police departments.
"Chief McGowan has done a great job," said Pedercini, adding that his job will be to keep up the momentum. "I joined the department shortly after he became chief, and I've watched the department go forward. The equipment is new and better, the training is better. He's really got the department in good shape here."
Although its members are volunteers, they are paid when they go out to fight fires. But, he said, "when they sign up, they don't even know they're going to get paid. That's not why they're here."
