
![]() After a year's worth of planning and work, 3 flagpoles have a new home at the firefighter memorial in Bellevue Cemetery. As part of an effort to prepare for the 150th anniversary of the company, the company secured permission from the Town of Adams to repurpose the 3 poles from the former Curtis Fine Paper mill which the town had acquired for back taxes. After removing a dying evergreen from the site, the company situated the refitted poles behind the monument and installed solar lighting. More information on this project is documented on part of the company's 150th anniversary pages.
![]() Courtesy of iBerkshires Staff writers and photographers Breanna Steele, Jack Guerino, Tammy Daniels and Marty Alvarez contributed to this article. 09:43AM / Wednesday, April 16, 2025 ADAMS, Mass. — At least eight fire companies responded to a Wednesday morning a structure fire in the old MacDermid Graphics building. Firefighters and responders from Cheshire, Dalton, Hinsdale, Lanesborough, Lee, Savoy, North Adams, Pittsfield, Williamstown. Hinsdale also sent its rehab bus and Northern Berkshire EMS was on the scene with its rehab trailer. The fire was reported at about 7:30 a.m. and black smoke could be seen looming over the old mill building at 10 Harmony St. Harmony and Prospect streets were closed to traffic. The Adams Police Department posted on Facebook that Hoosac Valley Elementary School and Berkshire Arts and Technology Charter Public School classes were cancelled for Wednesday. The schools are located not far from the structure. Their post also reads, "Children on the bus already for Hoosac Valley Elementary School will be brought to the middle school gym at Hoosac Valley High School." "BArT was already in session and will be evacuating to the Adams Visitor Center." Fire Chief John Pansecchi said firefighters are approaching the blaze by pouring water at it from every angle. "We have a fire in the building, looks like we have a lot of fire in the building and we're trying to get to it," he said. "Places have already collapsed prior to the fire, place that have collapsed since the fire, so not a lot of activity inside the building." The mill, the former W.R. Grace, is made up of a number two- and three-story structures covering about 236,749 square feet. The fire was located in a long building toward the back of the property that runs alongside the Ashuwillticook Rail Trail. The roof was fully engulfed in flames and collapsed in on itself around by 8 a.m. Trucks from Williamstown were being situated in the Russell Field parking lot and firefighters were trying to find a location where they could attack the blaze from the trail. Pansecchi said the building is supposed to be vacant. "I was working when the call came in," he said. "My guys did a great job getting set up putting some hose lines and being prepared and got some plans put together when I got here to extend that and that's what were looking at." The cause of the blaze is unknown at this time but the state fire marshal was on the scene. Pansecchi said firefighters are providing observations from the outside and the North Adams drone has been deployed to determine the extent of the blaze. The buildings are large and unsafe in most cases to enter. "We're making good progress but we're not at a point I'd call it contained," he said. "There's already places that have caved in prior to this." He's been joined by fire chiefs from the various departments, who have been aiding the attack from different fronts. "It's a really big help [having them] because you've got so much going on fighting a fire you don't think of the other things," the Adams chief said. "They start making suggestions." Some of the structures on the complex date to 1881, when Renfrew Manufacturing built to produce jacquard textiles. It was the last asset of the company, and its machines and inventory were stripped out in 1927. The mill's had various owners and periods of vacancy over the last century, but was probably best known as W.R. Grace, a specialty chemical company that bought it as part of the acquisition of Dewey & Almy Chemical in the mid-1950s. MacDermid took it over in 1999 but closed the plant three years later, putting 86 people out of work. The property has been vacant since and was purchased by 10 Harmony Street LLC for $53,500 in 2019, according the online assessor's records. Principal of the LLC is listed as John D. Duquette Jr. Video courtesy of WTEN news10.com ![]() Courtesy of iBerkshires By Tammy Daniels 05:37AM / Wednesday, April 16, 2025 ADAMS, Mass. — The Fire Department is worried its new engine will fall through the floor of the firehouse. And that's only the beginning of the problems. The deteriorating conditions of the 65-year-old firehouse on Columbia Street was presented during an information session Tuesday night that included discussion of organizational changes in the upcoming election. More than 70 people attended the presentation. "Our department's home no longer meets the need of an evolving fire service," said First Assistant Engineer David Lennon. "We have major, major structural issues with this building. We have additional safety issues and other liabilities that need to be addressed before we have other catastrophic problems." Lennon went through a history of the department — from its founding with three hand-drawn carts in 1873, to the 1890 Park Street firehouse and to the larger (at the time) current fire station in 1960. Now it no longer meets the needs of a modern fire service with its the plethora of regulations and standards, larger and heavier vehicles, the requirements for equipment and training and a call volume that's jumped by 370 percent. The most pressing issue is the station's floor, which is actually the building's second floor. The Water Department is housed below and accessed off Depot Street. Lennon said the fire trucks are basically parking on a bridge — one that has had capacity issues almost since the beginning. One half the floor was replaced some 50 years but the other half is original. The foundation lacks proper footings and the supports are pushing through the floor. It's causing the walls to crack and it's not safe for the new engine, a 2025 E-One ?Typhoon eMax Engine, that while smaller in width and length is still heavier than the current engine. A recent needs assessment recommended immediate repairs. "This floor is insufficient to safely support the live impact load," said Lennon. "That's an important thing, because the live impact load is more than just wait time. It's moving weight, and that's worse, and that's what we have to do in here. Actually, it's needed immediately to avoid a catastrophic failure." The Fire District will be issuing a request for proposals to shore up the floor for at least the next five years as it contemplates a new station. Because it's more than just the floor: there's leaking and rotting windows, no proper ventilation, outdated and obsolete electrical panels, minimal storage, two undersized bays (so the rescue truck has to be parked outside), no sprinkler system or CO detectors, and no space for training. Add to that no room for expansion, a lack of parking and the difficult and dangerous need to cross traffic lanes to back the trucks into the firehouse on a major road with obstructed views. The district could pour millions into the current station to bring it up to code, but it will still be limited by a lack of space, parking and safety. Tuesday's presentation was the first step in the process and district officials couldn't answer immediate questions like how much it would cost, where a new station would be located or what would be done with the old building. What it will require is the development of an advisory group appointed by the Prudential Committee to steer the process and conversations with the town and other partners. "Within the commonwealth, there have been many fire districts, many towns, many communities who have gone this path before, and you can see what worked, what didn't work, and try to borrow from what's out there," said Lennon. "We don't need to reinvent the wheel, but we need to go ahead and try to be as inclusive as we can bring more views and people to the table." The needs assessment also recommended the creation of a full-time paid fire chief position, which the Fire District members will vote on at the annual meeting. The chief is currently a stipend post. Fire Chief John Pansecchi said the responsibilities of the chief have increased significantly and the hours he's been putting in over the last five years have been almost full-time, in addition to his current full-time job. In addition to overseeing training, budgeting, purchasing, equipment and apparatus maintenance, code enforcement, background checks, fire prevention classes and education, and other administrative duties, the chief is also responsible for a range of inspections and permits including homes, liquor licenses, oil burners and propane systems, home solar panels (to ensure firefighters have access to roofs) and oversize roll-offs. Pansecchi completed 418 inspections last year and issued nearly 200 permits. He noted that both cities had paid chiefs and a number of towns smaller than Adams. He also stressed this vote was not about him but whoever holds the position will have the same responsibilities. "Yes it costs money ... everybody's worried about their taxes. ... any increase in taxes hurts us too," said Prudential Committee Chair Thomas Satko. "But we came to the conclusion we need a full time chief." The Fire District will also vote on whether the clerk and treasurer and assistant engineers should be appointed rather than elected as ballot questions. Satko and Pansecchi said it was a matter of ensuring people in these positions are qualified and accountable. Satko said the state Department of Revenue recommended the treasurer be appointed "for efficiency and accountability and experience managing municipal finances." The chief said elected positions can't be held to trainings or oversight. "Anyone in Adams can run for an engineer spot," said Pansecchi. "I can tell you what you need but can't make you do it." The chief and engineers would be paid out of the Fire District budget; the clerk and treasurer would be split between the Fire District and Water Department. A compensation plan would have to be developed but Satko said the district would have a year to deal with that since the positions' elected terms won't end until next year. Satko could not speak to the salaries at this point but they would have benefits including insurance. The district leaders also broached the potential for hiring part-time firefighters to ensure bodies were available. "They'll be district employees and won't have to live in the town of Adams," he said. "Some of the Alerts might not like that but we're looking for coverage to keep the people safe." Pansecchi estimated he had about 20 firefighters who are consistent and capable but couldn't always respond to fires because of their schedules. He acknowledged the problems with recruitment but that wasn't the point of creating paid positions. "Every fire department is having the same problem," the chief said. "This is not a step toward gaining members, it's a step toward putting qualified people in positions." The annual election is May 13 from noon to 6 at the firehouse, followed at 7 by the annual meeting. The only other item on the election ballot is a Prudential Committee member for three years. The warrant for the annual meeting will be posted at a later date. Courtesy of iBerkshires By Jack Guerino iBerkshires Staff 07:35AM / Saturday, April 12, 2025 Print Story | Email Story ![]() ADAMS, Mass. — It's not uncommon for firefighting to run in families, but four generations of David Lennons serving in the same department? That's a little much, even Assistant Chief David Lennon Jr. admits. "Technically he is not a junior," he said about his son. "I am a junior but he has a different middle name. But to everyone down here he is 'Junior.'" The Adams Fire Department recently welcomed its fourth David Lennon, continuing a family legacy that stretches back over half a century. "It is a shared sense of purpose," said David Jr. "I'm obviously proud of him ... To be honest with you, I think he's doing better than I was back then." Young David Lennon was elected to the company in January, but he started his apprenticeship in 2023. The job has always been pretty familiar to him, the 23-year-old said. "I was always around it as a kid. I would go to calls, just like my father did," he said. "… I have seen what a fire scene looks like, so I have that in my arsenal." His grandfather David Lennon Sr. nodded, remembering trying on his own father's firefighting gear and running out to calls as a young boy. "I can remember one time when I was in a shoe store in town and the whistle went off. I was with him, so he took me with him," he said. "Fires were reported through box alarms. Compressed air would blow a horn. It was loud. You could hear it all around town." And like his grandfather and father who both fondly recalled memories of growing up with a firefighter parent, young David was ready to join as soon as possible. Legally he could have started at the age of 18, but his father said it was important to the family that his son finish college first. "He wanted to sign up earlier, but I wanted him to devote his attention to getting his schooling done, which he did," David Jr. said. "And as soon as he was done, he started coming down. As I had expected, he's kind of all in. If there's training, he's at it. He spends a lot of time and takes it seriously. So, I think that was the right call." On paper, the three living David Lennons would appear to be the same man. If you didn't see them in person you would wonder if they were clones. All three are firefighters; all three are teachers. "So, not only do we do this, all of us are also teachers," David Jr. said. "I've grown up with getting phone calls from parents: 'You, Mr. Lennon, the teacher, right?' And then we start talking and they say, 'Oh, no. I'm looking for your father, Mr. Lennon.'" Young David's life arc uncannily has followed his father's, who recently admitted experiencing a strong sense of deja vu. David Jr., like his son, joined the department after college. He came back to Adams, started a family, settled into a job, built a house. But once rooted, he needed something to focus on to further his stake in his community. "It was not only something I was interested in but was also a way to kind of get back involved with other people," he said. "... It was a good few early years. I don't know how many roofs we put on each other's homes. There was a lot of camaraderie ... everyone went to everyone else's kids' birthday parties and picnics. If there was a big job we all rallied. It was like a big family." Flashforward a handful of years, young David finishes college and decides to move back home. He joins the Adams Alerts, and gets a teaching job at the same school as his father (Nessacus Regional Middle School in Dalton), and is engaged. "He's a civics teacher ... he's a town meeting member, and he is starting to get involved," David Jr. said. "He is putting roots down and is starting to become part of the community, which I think is good because it is rare nowadays." David Jr. revels in the new bonds he has created with his son. "It doesn't matter if it's tools or firefighting. We kind of have a lot of shared interests. Now, it's the same thing with teaching," he said. "So, yeah, it's different because I have a son but also a coworker." David Sr. said he was proud when his grandson announced that he was signing up. He also recalled when his own son told him he was joining. "I was glad he did. My father did it, and I did it. My brother did it," he said. "I am amazed how many years he has got in it." David Jr., who has 27 years with the Alerts, refreshed his dad's memory. "Yeah, when I first brought it up to you, though, you weren't exactly ecstatic," he laughed. "You were a little nervous about it." "Yeah well you always are," his father responded. "It is dangerous." David Jr. felt the same way about the danger, but since he knew his son was going to join anyway, he was glad to be around to keep an eye on him. David Jr. and his son have been on calls together. David Jr., reflecting on the inherent danger of firefighting, said it is important to compartmentalize as much as possible and handle the job that is in front of you. "You have a job to do. He is focused on what he is doing, and I have to focus on what I am doing," he said. "Of course I will look up and take note to see where he is and what's going on." Three David Lennons had never served in the department simultaneously until now. The first David Lennon was a member of the Alert Hose Co. for 34 years and had been the town's building and zoning inspector, a post his father, another David, had held. He died shortly after retiring in 1976. David Sr. started that year as his father had retired so he could join. Back then, there was a long waiting list of people wanting to become firefighters. One had to leave for another to join.
"There were like seven or eight of us that had been trying to join," David Sr. said, looking up at the wall of portraits in the firehouse's lounge. "You train and go to fires, but you're not officially a firefighter. You had no equipment or nothing, but you had to go to show you cared. I got in with three other guys." He said the portraits on the wall are of firefighters who were still active with the department when they died. David Sr. knew all of them. Nowadays volunteer departments across the country struggle to fill their ranks. Adams is no exception. David Jr. would give anything for even a short waitlist. David Jr. said the department's membership is on the older side, noting that many of the names on the roster either started with him or before him. He was happy to say his son had recruited a few of his friends in their 20s, that slightly lowered the department's age profile. Generally, it is hard to find anyone interested in joining the department, and often when they find someone interested, they don't always last. "We are at a crossroads, just trying to get capable people that have the time to spend, that have the desire to put that time in, that can then use that to do something repeatedly over and over and over for an extended period of time," he said. "We get people through the door and they come and they go. Or people that are well intentioned, but they really don't have the capabilities." Looking at his son who played football at Hoosac Valley, David Jr. said it takes a very specific skill set to thrive as a firefighter. He said athletes tend to do well, adding that "controlled aggression" is an important skill. Coupling that with a knowledge of various tools, they have an optimal recruit on hand. Young David chimed in and said he was surprised how much athletics have helped him through the training. He said when all geared up he is lugging around an extra 100 or so pounds. His father added that the gear is even heavier when it gets wet, and it will get wet. "I played sports all through high school, I am relatively fit, although I'm kind of letting myself go now," young David laughed. "But I didn't realize how much of a full body workout this would be. I remember after one of my first experiences my forearms were completely just shot. I remember getting used to the bulky gear, having no dexterity with gloves on. It looks easy when you see it on TV, but getting in the gear and actually doing it in a stressful environment is different." The Lennons are unequivocally a firefighting family, so discussions on positive pressure ventilation and situational uses of various hose lines are topics heard at the dinner table. "The significant others just walk away," David Jr. laughed. But David Sr. is always all ears. "We still talk about the fires. Me being retired, I try to talk with them about it whenever I can," he said. "I am always interested." "If you ask a firefighter one story you get 12," David, Jr., added with a laugh. More seriously, David Jr. said there is a need to keep firefighting separate as firefighters often see things they don't want to bring home with them. But it is important to decompress, something much easier to do now that his son has joined the ranks. "The stuff you see, and the stuff you witness all has its own weight with that. I think we have to talk about it," he said. "I have somebody that understands now. We can offload. I have other friends in the department and we do that and now he has joined that group. It is important to talk about what went right, the things you saw, and how to cope. There is certainly a lot of stuff I don't go home and tell my wife. I never used to tell him. But now he is involved so it is coming from a different place." Young David said his first call, a lift assist, wasn't very glamorous but since then he has gone to more severe calls that have opened up his eyes — making the job seem more real and heavier. "One of the better feelings that you get is accomplishing something. You go on social media and you get all the thank yous," he said. "Or, better yet, you go to a fire scene and you get neighbors bringing out water, snacks, or whatever to help out in a way. That's one of the more rewarding aspects of it." Young David loves the training and his father said he puts in the extra time to improve. He never misses the regular Tuesday training and often leads a small group through an extra training session on Fridays. When he isn't watching fire training videos online, he is researching tools and gear he will likely purchase with his own money. "There was a reason I didn't let him join when he was in college because when he is all in he is all in," David Jr. said. "If he is not at the house I know exactly where he's going to be." His son's enthusiasm has inspired him to improve and do more field training again, noting that life and his more administrative duties have drawn him away from some of the more hands-on work over the years. "I have a grandchild now so the amount of things pulling at you and the amount of calls is way higher," David Jr. said. "But when he got in, it sort of pulled me back in a little bit so I have been a little bit more involved again." But with some limitations. "I'm finding out that I can't do a lot of stuff I used to be able to," he laughed. "We went to a training in Cheshire ... and a lot of that was really physically hard stuff, and it took me weeks to recuperate from that, I think I had a bruised rib from that. It has caught up." Even though many of these training sessions are physically tolling, David Jr. said they are incredibly important. He did note it is broadly challenging to administer training, basically simulations, knowing that nothing can prepare a firefighter for the real thing. "We're not super rural. We're busy, but we don't have a big fire every day, and this is the type of thing that you have to learn by going to those," he said. "... It's overwhelming when you go for the first time. Some people, who have been training for months, go to their first big one and their eyes get big and they say 'oh my goodness.' Your plans go right out the window and you have to be able to adapt and read the situation." David Sr. recalled learning primarily through experience, saying that today's firefighter training is vastly different. He stressed that firefighting has changed significantly since his time." "It is totally different now. The trucks were smaller, the station was on Park Street — believe it or not they fit three trucks in there. That was just part of growing up: my father running down there, pulling on his boots. It was like fishing boots and a rubber raincoat. That is just what they had." David Jr. added that there were no breathing apparatus back in those days. "You just went in until you couldn't take it anymore," he said. Young David added that they still use some of the more antiquated gear and much of the new gear is just improved versions of what his grandfather probably used, but ever changing regulations, inspections, and certifications are new, as is the mountains of paperwork involved, his father added. "We still have a lot of the same tools. We had air packs, but they weren't inspected or certified. Everything has all this legal stuff that you have to do now," he said. "All in case something happens. It is good to have this process but it all costs money and it takes time. None of that is the fun stuff you reminisce about." Most of it is worth reminiscing about, and both grandfather and son have gained a lot from their time as firefighters. "Learning how to work together with people in extreme circumstances. Being helpful. It's like a team approach," David Sr. said. "That is why you do it, you want to belong. You want to help your community and go out there and do your share." "I think everybody in their life has trials and tribulations ... and being able to take what we've had to deal with here and be able to keep things separate, I think helps," David Jr. said. The senior Lennons hope young David will gain as much from the department as they did. He, in turn, sees his firefighting career mirroring his father's and expects to be with the department for the long haul. And even with difficulties with funding and recruitment, his father hopes and believes that is possible." "Hopefully there is still a place for a volunteer fire department in the future because I think it is beneficial for the community and beneficial for the people involved in it," he said. "I know I have gotten a lot out of it and the friendships and the connections in it are a real good thing." ![]() Staff Reports Courtesy of iBerkshires 04:51PM / Friday, March 07, 2025 ADAMS, Mass. — Firefighters were called out Friday afternoon to deal with a smoking wall in a duplex on West Street. Fire Chief John Pansecchi said the fire was in the wall between 22 and 24 West. "We had to open up on the second floor above that and on the porch on the 22 side just to edify the hotspots are out," he said. "We've still got a little smoking ... we're trying to figure out where it's from. ... "We're doing our due diligence." He said there was smoke coming up through the floorboards on the second floor when he arrived. "You knew something was going on. It was just a matter of finding it," Pansecchi said. Firefighters did see some flames inside but "very little ... we hit it pretty quick." He expected to be on scene for another 30 or 45 minutes. That was around 4:30 p.m. The is under investigation although Pansecchi was "90 percent sure" of cause. He declined to say until he had consulted with the other firefighters. He expected the occupants of 22 to be able to return to their home. There was some damage to 24 including the door. No one was injured. Cheshire responded for mutual aid; Lanesborough was called to cover the Cheshire station. |
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