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.

​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. 
 

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.