Woonsocket Call - Firefighters passing the torch

Harrisville Fire Chief Mark A. St. Pierre, on left, has announced department promotions, including, from left, Assistant Chief Michael E. Gingell, a 31-year veteran of the department, promoted to deputy chief. Rescue Lt. Norman D. Mainville, a 12-year veteran, is promoted to rescue captain; firefighter David J. Pariseau, an 18-year veteran of the department, and former assistant engineer, is promoted to assistant chief engineer; and retiring Chief Engineer Douglas W. Rhodes, a 36-year veteran, has become chief engineer emeritus. Call Photo/Ernest A. Brown

BURRILLVILLE — Firefighting is in Michael Gingell’s blood.
His father, Lawrence Gingell, was a Burrillville firefighter and hero who died in the line of duty in 1986; his brother, Larry, was a firefighter; and he’s had several uncles and cousins go through the fire service at one time or another. Now, he works alongside his 21-year-old daughter, Amanda, a senior volunteer firefighter with the Harrisville Fire Department for the past five years.

Gingell himself is a 31-year veteran of the Harrisville department serving as captain for 16 years and more recently as assistant chief before his promotion to deputy chief – the department’s second in command — in February.
But Gingell, a firefighter known for his modesty and quiet demeanor, will be the first to downplay his years of service as a firefighter. Far more impressive, he says, is the combined 83 years of service put in by Deputy Chief Norman P. Menard, a 47-year veteran of the department, and Chief Engineer Douglas W. Rhodes, a 36-year veteran. During the same promotion ceremony in February, Menard was promoted to deputy chief emeritus and Rhodes to chief engineer emeritus.
“I worked with these guys a lot of years and they really exemplify what being a volunteer firefighter is all about,” says Gingell. “It’s been my privilege to work with them guys over the years.”
“I joined the fire service in the 1960s and spent many years working with Norm and Doug,” said Harrisville Fire Chief Mark St. Pierre, who promoted the three men plus four others. “They have 83 years of volunteer service between them. They have been dedicated volunteers in the truest sense of the word and have been there for their community all these years.”
The word emeritus is an adjective that is used in the title of a retired professor, bishop or other professional. Emeritus, however, does not imply that the person must be retired from all duties of his or her previous title, and that’s certainly the case with the fire service. Once a firefighter, always a firefighter, St. Pierre says.
“These guys are not retired. They’re way too valuable,” he says. “They are still active firefighters who have been promoted with top honors and with a title and status befitting their many years of service.”
In addition to Menard, Rhodes and Gingell, St. Pierre promoted four other veteran firefighters who’s combined years of service is nearly 50 years.
Rescue Lt. Norman D. Mainville, a 12-year-veteran, has been promoted to rescue captain; Donald E. Pariseau Jr., a 16-year veteran, was promoted to lieutenant assigned to Rescue 2 and Forestry; EMT/Firefighter Kevin T. Deschamps, a 2-year member of the department, was promoted to rescue lieutenant assigned to Medic 2; and David J. Pariseau, an 18-year veteran of the department and former assistant engineer, is now assistant chief engineer.
“I’m pretty fortunate to have a cadre of officers that have this kind of experience as well as the training and certification they have. It makes my job as chief a lot easier,” St. Pierre says.
The Harrisville Fire Department is run by a fire subcommittee of the Harrisville Fire District Operating Committee. The Harrisville Hose Company No. 1 is the social aspect of the Fire Department. The Hose Company was organized 1912 as a firefighting organization. Today the company supports various community activities within the town and the village of Harrisville.
The Fire Department is currently composed of five full-time firefighters/EMTs (who are also volunteers); 40 senior volunteer firefighters – 22 of whom are EMTs; and six junior firefighters (ages 16-18). The department has had a junior firefighter program since the 1950s and that was the way many of Harrisville’s firefighters have come up through the ranks, including St. Pierre. Just recently, two junior firefighters – Nicholas Brooks and Darlene Pariseau – have been elevated to the rank of senior firefighter.
“We’ve also lost a lot of good firefighters who have gone on to fire service careers in other towns and cities,” St. Pierre says.
Firefighting has changed since St. Pierre became a firefighter in the 1960s. For one thing, there aren’t as many fires to fight, he says. “The fire service was a lot different 40 years ago. Years ago we fought a lot more fires. These days there is a lot more fire prevention technology, education and awareness and fire codes.”
What hasn’t changed is that special brotherhood and fraternity firefighters often talk about where friendships are forged and bonds last a lifetime.
“I’ve been fortunate to have worked with many dedicated firefighters over the years,” St. Pierre says. “These men and women risk their lives for no pay because they love the job and the communities they serve and protect.”