Groveland Adds Five Women as Call Firefighters

From left to right, firefighters Jennifer Hicks, Megan Shea, Lisa Evans, Courtney Panaro and Alyssa Bosch. (Courtesy photograph.)

The Groveland Fire Department has added five women, including a six-year veteran of the West Newbury department, to its “call firefighter” ranks.

Four new firefighters, Alyssa Bosch, Lisa Evans, Jennifer Hicks, Courtney Panaro and Megan Shea, are scheduled to attend the fire academy this fall, according to Groveland Fire Chief Robert B. Lay. The fifth, Lisa Evans, joined the Groveland department in July and will also remain on the West Newbury fire staff, where she has served the past six years.

“The decision to hire these five women is consistent with our mission, our strategic plan and our organizational transformation,” Lay said. “Whether departments are career or call, doesn’t change the importance of creating a diverse work environment. We’re excited to add these women to our roster of talented firefighters.”

Bosch moved from Beverly to Groveland just under a year-and-a-half ago with her four children and husband Christopher Bosch, who is also a Groveland firefighter.

Evans joined the Groveland Fire Department in July. She has been with the West Newbury Fire Department for six years. Firefighter Evans received her National I/II Firefighter Certification from the Massachusetts Fire Academy in 2011, is CPR certified and is the Massachusetts Call/Volunteer Firefighters Association Region 2 coordinator. She earned a bachelor’s in accounting from Merrimack College and currently works as a dental hygienist. Evans’ husband, David, is a deputy chief on the West Newbury Fire Department and also a member of the Groveland Fire Department.

Hicks spent 17 years, from 1996 to 2013, as a certified special education teacher, working to assist students with autism. She has a master’s in education from Simmons College and a bachelor’s in psychology from St. Michael’s College. Over the last year she earned her EMT certification.

Panaro is enrolled at North Shore Community College to obtain a degree in Fire Protection and Safety Technology. Her goal, which she set for herself when she was a little girl, is to become a full-time firefighter.

Shea graduated from Pentucket High School in 2015. She was first introduced to the fire service through a public safety course during her senior year and then joined the junior firefighter program in West Newbury. She is currently enrolled at North Community College with plans to transfer to Salem State University, where she will pursue a degree in nursing.

One thought on “Groveland Adds Five Women as Call Firefighters

  1. “organizational transformation” “importance of creating a diverse work environment”

    More out of liberalism in action !!
    Now liberals are putting lives in danger by promoting an agenda over the safety of town residents.
    Whether you like him or not, when Trump talks about “Making America Great Again” this is an absolutely perfect example of what that means. What happened to the concept of hiring THE BEST candidate available for a job regardless of their sex, race or age? This is insane…..