Fire Chief Alan Jack Retires After 40-year Career

Seekonk Fire Chief Alan Jack is retiring on September 19 after more than 40 years as a firefighter. In his career, he has fought countless fires, saved lives, assisted people during emergencies, been a leader and example to other firefighters and gone above and beyond to serve his community.

Jack has served as chief of the Seekonk Fire Department for 10 years. He says it is time for him to move on, although he has mixed emotions about it.

“I love being a firefighter. I know I’m going to miss it. It’s time for me to pass it on to someone else. Part of my job is to train others to follow in my footsteps,” Jack said.

The Seekonk Fire Department is busier than ever. The department annually responds to 2600 to 2700 calls and the majority of those, about 65 percent, are medical incidents.

“We’re going from fewer fires to more EMS (emergency medical service),” Jack said.

A few years ago, the department changed to a full-time career department and the board of selectmen voted to shut down its volunteer call division. There was some controversy about the move.

Before that, Seekonk had both full-time firefighters and call firefighters in the department. Over the years, the number of call firefighters had decreased significantly.

“What shifted gears here in Seekonk was not so much the fire service, but the emergency medical service,” Jack said.

Most fire departments today are finding a greater need for emergency medical technicians (EMTs) and paramedics because most of the calls are medical in nature.

Jack says the board of selectmen wanted the department to better serve the community, without relying on mutual aid.

“Our call fire department was not able to meet those medical demands that the town placed on the department,” Jack said.

The decision was not made haphazardly, says Jack. A lot of research went into it and several studies were conducted.

Today the department has 28 firefighters, excluding the chief, assigned to four shifts. Each shift has seven people. Out of those 28, 21 are licensed paramedics in Massachusetts and another is currently training to be a paramedic.

Jack praised the department for their professionalism and dedication. He believes the department will continue to move forward after he leaves because of the talent and commitment of the people in the department.

“The personnel are very well-educated and dedicated to serving the community.

Several of our career firefighters started out as call volunteers, including the captain,” Jack said.

Jack said the department also has a good group of officers.

“Our command staff is second to none. They’re highly trained, motivated and dedicated,” he added.

Jack says he couldn’t have done it all without the support of the board of selectmen over the years.

He has been pretty fortunate in his career, Jack says.

“It’s not just a job for me. It’s a career and I take it very seriously,” Jack said.

He wanted to be a firefighter when he was a young boy growing up in Pawtucket, but he didn’t have anyone in his family or any friends who were firefighters.

But that didn’t stop him. He says his parents instilled in him that you can do anything in life and if you want to make something of yourself, it was up to you to search it out.

“When the trucks would roll down the street, I was one of the kids who would follow on my bicycle,” Jack said.

After serving in the National Guard as a military policeman for six years, he considered going into law enforcement. Then a friend asked if he had ever considered becoming a firefighter.

He started in the Pawtucket Fire Department in 1973 and served there for 28 years.

Jack says he still remembers his first day in the department.

“It was such a big day for me,” Jack said.

He spent several years as a fire officer assigned to rescue. In 1989, he was promoted to be a fire officer assigned to an engine company. He worked his way up, receiving a number of promotions.

“My career has incorporated every area. I worked dispatch for a number of years, rescue for a number of years, EMT cardiac for a number of years,” Jack said.

In 1996, he studied to become a battalion chief and was put in charge of the 4th battalion.

Then Jack decided he wanted to be a fire chief and he left Pawtucket in 2001 to take a job as chief in Tiverton, Rhode Island.

“It’s a lovely community and a nice group of personnel,” Jack said.

Tiverton helped him grow as a chief, but after a few years, he decided he wanted something more challenging and closer to home. At the time, he was living in Rehoboth.

He became fire chief in Seekonk in 2004 and moved into the town.

“I thought it would be a good move for me professionally and help me grow and hopefully allow me to make a positive contribution to the community,” said Jack.

He says he loves living and working in Seekonk.

“The city of Tiverton gave me a venue to practice what I learned and grow further.

The town of Seekonk allowed me to take those life lessons and leadership skills and put them to the test,” Jack said.

Like any career, Jack says it hasn’t all been easy.

“There are speed bumps, but the thing about speed bumps is you get to go down on the other side,” Jack said.

It has always been important to Jack that the department help the community in more ways that just fighting fires and responding to emergencies.

The department has a smoke detector program, where it provides smoke and carbon monoxide detectors to residents who need them. They also work closely with the schools, and the senior center through the TRIAD program.

“We pride ourselves on doing that. Reaching out to the community has always been a priority,” Jack said.

A big project for the department and the town is the rebuilding of the Banna Fire Station on Pine Street. After some delays, construction has resumed and is expected to be completed by the end of September. A groundbreaking ceremony for the project was held last October. The station was named for firefighter Richard Banna, who died in the line of duty in 1977. The new station, which will be manned 24 hours a day, is expected to improve response times in the north end of town.

Jack doesn’t have any specific plans for his retirement, other than doing some traveling with his fiancé Joan and doing some tinkering on his car.

“I’m going to take a couple of good swings at this retirement,” Jack said.

The town is currently interviewing for Jack’s replacement. They are reportedly considering hiring from within the department.

“If it’s an internal candidate and I hope it is, I hope the person continues to improve what we started,” Jack said.

Jack’s advice for his replacement is simple.

“My advice is to be your own chief. Don’t be me,” Jack said.

Jack says the accomplishments of the department are not just his doing.

“You look at our performance. It’s not my performance. I’m the one in the white hat out front, but there’s a big supporting cast behind me,” Jack said.

“I think that’s what we’ve been able to accomplish here – to help the community in a positive manner and leave an effective, positive mark on what we do,” Jack said.

“It’s bigger than me. It’s a team effort. It’s about the town of Seekonk Fire Department. I never lost sight of that,” Jack said.