ROWLEY – With the appointment of 44-year-old Daniel Veinot as the town’s Fire Chief last week and the appointment in January of 39-year-old Michael Balsley as Police Chief, Rowley has its public safety leadership in place for years to come.
“That was one of the reasons we chose Daniel,” said Selectman Robert Snow, who was on the committee that vetted Veinot.
Selectman Cliff Pierce said, “This feels like a new day in Rowley. We finally got our two public safety chiefs in place.”
Veinot, whose first day as chief is August 24, said last week that he is looking forward to working with Balsley. He replaces Fire Chief Mark Emery, who retired in June after more than 40 years at the department. Balsley replaced Police Chief Scott Dumas and acting chief, former Lt. Stephen May, who came out of retirement until a new chief was appointed in January.
The fire department Veinot takes over has also been in transition this summer to all full-time firefighters on duty 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It had been a combination of part full-time and parttime call firefighters. The SelectBoard voted for the department to go full-time firefighters beginning in July.
Currently a lieutenant in the Topsfield Fire Department, Veinot brings 14 years of firefighter experience in small town departments. Prior to his tenure in Topsfield, he was head of department training and emergency medical service (EMS) logistics at the Lynnfield Fire Department, where he was a lieutenant and fire prevention coordinator.
He has supported the command staff in emergency operations, fire prevention, plan review, policy development and regulatory compliance. He has responded to and commanded fire, EMS and multi-hazard incidents during the Incident Command System.
“I began my fire service career as a call firefighter in a small community and later continued serving in another small-town department. In communities like ours, the way we deliver fire and emergency service has a meaningful impact – not only on the residents and families, but also on the firefighters who feel a strong personal connection to the community,” Vernot wrote.
Topsfield and Rowley are very similar, Veinot said. Rowley is larger with 20 square miles, as compared to Topsfield’s 13, but Topsfield has a population of 6,569, versus Rowley’s 6,161.
He has found the 16-firefighter team to be well organized and praised Capt. Cooper Carifio for doing a great job The department has undergone a lot of growth, he said. The department is young, but highly skilled. He hopes to bring the department a fresh approach.
“I love it,” he said, working as a team, problem solving. “Our teams will make us successful.”
The Rowley department has one female firefighter, Lt. Merissa Titus-Abate, and he is looking for more. His partner in Topsfield was a woman, whom he described as emotionally and mentally strong and has a lot of empathy.
At his swearing in ceremony before the SelectBoard, Veinot, who has a family, including a four-year-old son, promised to serve the community with professionalism, dedication, and compassion. “The safety and wellbeing of our firefighters and the community members will always remain my highest priority,” he said. ♦
