ADAMS — Perhaps it was inevitable that a man named David Lennon would one day become fire chief.
For four generations, the Lennon name has been synonymous with the Adams Fire Department. Now, David J. Lennon, 58, is set to take the department’s top post after voters elected him chief Tuesday in an uncontested Adams Fire District election.

Until this week, Lennon served as first assistant engineer, making him the natural successor after Chief John Pansecchi announced his retirement this spring following nine years in the role.

Lennon is part of the third generation of David Lennons to serve in the department. His son, David A. Lennon — a fourth assistant engineer, who was elected to his first term on Tuesday — represents the fourth generation. The two are also colleagues at Nessacus Regional Middle School in Dalton, where David J. Lennon is retiring at the end of the school year after a career teaching engineering. His son teaches social studies there.

Outside the fire department, Lennon also serves on the Adams Finance Committee.

Although the chief’s term is traditionally three years, Lennon said he plans to serve just one year as the district considers restructuring the position from an elected, part-time role with a stipend to a fulltime appointed position with a salary. That change, slated for July 1, 2027, will require district voters' approval.
“I’m in favor of getting a fulltime chief,” he said. “It's needed right now. The pool of applicants is really shallow, and I don't see it getting better anytime soon.”

The pager went off around 1:30 in the morning for a report of smoke in the basement. First thought amongst most was a furnace issue -- but it wasn't -- it was a structure fire.

The home's resident, doing a well being check on their parent before retiring for the night noticed the room had no lights or power. Attempts to reset the breaker failed and upon closer inspection in the basement rafters and the first floor revealed smoke. 
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Active fire was found in the wall and was extinguished before having time to spread too far in an older home with plank construction. Had the resident just went to bed, the outcome could have been much different. We are very happy that did not occur and we would like to thank our mutual aid partners, Cheshire and Savoy FD for being there in case it had.

By Tammy Daniels
Courtesy of iBerkshires
07:37AM / Thursday, February 26, 2026

The cause of the blaze was undetermined and the state fire marshal was on their way. 
ADAMS, Mass. — An early morning fire on Richmond Lane gutted a single-family home Thursday. 

Update: The cause of the fire was ruled by the fire marshal, as the improper disposal of smoking material Fire Chief John Pansecchi said.  One firefighter was treated for difficulty breathing at the scene. Of the three cats, one was found deceased, another is confirmed to have escaped, and the fate of the third remains unknown.

The structure fire was called in about 4:30 a.m.; three hours later, firefighters were still chasing a smoky stubborn blaze between the first and second floors, Pansecchi said.
 
"It was heavy fire on the first floor, spreading to the interior," said Pansecchi. "It was unknown if anybody was in the house. Started a quick knock down, and got most of fire knocked down pretty quick."
 
The initial call was that someone was still in the home, but the chief said everyone had gotten out and was accounted for. 
 
The interior of the nearly 100-year-old Cape Cod was burned and blackened. Firefighters were able to enter the building and but smoke continued to pour of from under the eaves of the snow-covered roof as well as occasional licks of flame. The second story is listed as a three-quarter, with two dormers in the rear. 
 
"Right now, there's a lot of fire up in the void areas between the second floor, in the attic area about the second floor," Pansecchi said. "We're trying to get it, but it's stubborn. ...
 
"You got to open up all the ceilings and pull it all down. There's a couple hot spots on the outside that keep flaring up there."
 
He couldn't speak to the cause at this point but said the state fire marshal has been called to investigate. 
 
Cheshire and North Adams were called for mutual aid and Savoy is covering the fire station. County coordinator Gerry Cahalan, fire chief in Richmond, was at the scene along with Northern Berkshire EMS,  the town's Water Department, Berkshire Gas and National Grid.
 
Firefighters were expected to be at the scene for some time. 
 
"We're working on it," said Pansecchi. "The crews are working the tails off. They've done a great job."

​​More photos of this fire can be found here.

​Courtesy of The Berkshire Eagle 
By Jane Kaufman

ADAMS — For the third time in seven years, the Adams Fire District is recommending that its fire chief be made a full-time appointed position.

Thursday night, 50 of about 55 fire district voters gathered at the department's Columbia Street station voted in favor of making the chief's position full time effective July 1, 2027. In a separate vote, the district approved the first of a two-step process making its clerk and treasurer appointed rather than elected positions. That elected position is now held by Allen Mendel, whose term expires in May 2027. 

To finalize the move for the clerk and treasurer, district voters will need to approve a change to the language of the district bylaws in the district election in spring. To change the chief to an appointed rather than an elected position, voters will cast ballots in 2027. The intention is to have a full-time appointed chief start in July 2027.

District voters also learned Thursday that John Pansecchi, fire chief for the past nine years, will retire on May 12.
 
In 2019 and in 2025, the Fire District, a municipal body separate from town government that also serves as the town water department, recommended that the fire department professionalize its leadership by appointing rather than electing its leadership. In both cases, those changes were rejected in previous votes. 

The current proposal would also set the full-time chief’s salary between $75,000 to $111,000, with benefits adding nearly $50,000 in costs.
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Pansecchi, 59, is being paid an annual stipend of $30,000 as Adams' part-time chief. He works two jobs, including a full-time role as a dispatcher for the City of Pittsfield.

Thus far, First Assistant Chief David Lennon is the only candidate for chief. His intention is to serve for just a year during the transition period.

At Thursday’s meeting, Lennon advocated for making the chief’s position full-time, pointing out that it will give the district a wider field of candidates. Right now, only candidates who live within the district can be elected chief.

District voter Kathy Foster said it’s important for the voters to support this change. “I don’t really know of any other professions where people are expected to volunteer to go to work,” she said. “It’s overdue.”

Pansecchi is the town's 14th fire chief and has served as a firefighter for 40 years,  joining the Alert Hose Co. as an apprentice in 1986 and working his way up through the ranks.

     We have recently been hitting the social media feeds with requests for our residents to remember to clear the snow from around the hydrants in their neighborhood. We then had a work bee and spent a Saturday morning trying to visit as many hydrants as possible and to clear them if needed. With all that time spend dealing with hydrants we though we would take this opportunity to pass along some other tips and a bit of knowledge concerning these ubiquitous parts of the town's landscape that tend to blend into the background until they are urgently needed.
     When we post that hydrants should have the snow removed from an area of 3' around the entire hydrant. This is because part of an emergency response may involve what's called "wrapping" the hydrant. This is where a fire engine will stop at a hydrant, pull off some supply hose, wrap it 360 degrees or more around it and then move down the street to lay the hose out to the scene. To be able to do this, the firefighter needs clear access to the base of the hydrant all the way around it...hence why we ask people to remove the snow not just from the front, but from all around it.
     The next ask is for all seasons, snow or not. Please do not park in front of a hydrant. Not only is that a ticket-able offense, it again makes it near impossible for firefighters to access the hydrant in the event of an emergency.
     And finally. Perhaps you did notice that the district had begun painting hydrants different colors. This is not an aesthetic decision but rather one made to follow the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) recommendation for color coding fire hydrant tops by water flow (GPM - gallons per minute) for easy and universal recognition by firefighters. We added a helpful chart to make it easier to understand why the one in front of your house is that color and why they can't be arbitrarily painted to match a person's desire or taste in color.
     Thank you for helping us be able to effectively help you or your neighbor should an emergency occur.