South Boston Citizens’ Association President Tom McGrath is pleased to announce that BFD Commissioner Joe Finn has been chosen to receive the John W. McCormack Public Service Award at the South Boston Citizens’ Association’s 138th Annual Evacuation Banquet on March 16th, at the South Boston Convention Center.
“It is an honor for the Association to present this award to Commissioner Finn for his countless contributions to better the quality of life for all the employees of the BFD, the safety and well being of the City of Boston and The Commonwealth of Massachusetts for well over 30 years.” McGrath said.
Boston Fire Commissioner and Chief of Department Joseph E. Finn was sworn in on July 27, 2014. He began his career with the Boston Fire Department in October of 1984 and rose through the ranks of the department.
In 2001, he was promoted Deputy Chief of Personnel, responsible for recruitment, selection and hiring, as well as contract enforcement, employee assistance, and discipline. He initiated and trained the first team of investigators to examine harassment and discrimination allegations, and trained firefighters to become mediators to achieve conflict resolution among staff.
From 2005-2014, he served as a Division Commander in charge of all administrative functions, fire ground operations, hazardous materials, and technical rescue responses in Division One. In his 33 years with the Boston Fire Department, Commissioner Finn made significant contributions to the department, including establishing an EMT training program that increased the number of EMTs on the Boston Fire Department by 50%, and assisting in the development of state regulations for the use of semi-automatic external defibrillators, and of legislation that made the fire service a major player in the delivery of emergency medical services. He also served as a committee member for the Massachusetts Human Resources Division in the development and implementation of the entry-level firefighters testing process.
Commissioner Finn served in the United States Marine Corps from 1979 to 1982.
He has earned an Associate Degree in Fire Science from Bunker Hill Community College and a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Northeastern University in 2008, graduating magna cum laude. He is a leading voice among fire chiefs in the battle against occupationally-acquired cancers.
In 2017 Commissioner Finn was the recipient of the prestigious Metro Fire Chief of the Year Award, presented by the Metropolitan Fire Chiefs Association. Joe is married to his wife of 32 years Susan. They have 4 children Billy, Kelsey, Brandon, Sean and a grand-daughter Riley.
