Haverhill Fire Department’s 2024 growth spurt, which led to giving the city its second ladder truck, ranks as one of Haverhill’s top stories of the year.
The historic hiring surge began with receipt of a $4.1 million federal grant that added 16 positions to fill a second ladder truck. If that wasn’t enough, Fire Chief Robert M. O’Brien had to recruit and train more to replace retiring firefighters. After a number of Massachusetts Firefighting Academy graduation ceremonies, O’Brien summed up the results in October.
“Since the end of January, we’ve hired 26 new firefighters. It’s a been a busy year,” he said.
In July, O’Brien and Mayor Melinda E. Barrett inaugurated Ladder 4, based out of the Bradford fire station. The mayor said the second ladder is essential with the upcoming replacement of the Pfc. Ralph T. Basiliere Bridge and traffic impeding fire trucks crossing the relatively narrow Joseph Comeau Bridge over the Merrimack River. She said it worried her when the 290-unit apartment project, called “The Beck,” was under consideration.
“That was one of my concerns as a councilor when I voted no. How can they clear that? I was thinking (then) that the ladder comes from Water Street over, but now we have people responding that have to clear the other way too,” the mayor said.
At the dedication ceremony, O’Brien outlined the truck’s role.
“Part of the coverage area for the second ladder will be all of Bradford, parts of Engine 1’s area—River Street and the Merrimack/Washington Street, which is our highest concentration of multistory buildings. We will have both ladders responding on that, which we haven’t in many years had the ability to do that,” O’Brien said.
Adding to the milestone achievements, the city welcomed Taylor Gillette as its first career female firefighter; Melanie Figueroa, who began as the city’s first female call firefighter and then the second career female; Amanda Baxter, daughter of retired Firefighter Paul M. Baxter; and Sabrina Spero, daughter of Haverhill Police Sgt. John Spero.