L to R: Firefighter Thomas Carroll (Retired), Lieutenant Mark Wall and Firefighter Thomas Kelley.

By William Tauro

Somerville Fire Department Lieutenant Mark Wall worked his last tour of duty on Sunday, January 23rd after 42 years of service. Lt. Wall worked the vast majority of his career as a firefighter and then lieutenant at Engine 3 in Union Square.

His final run was to Box 252, located at Washington Street and Kingman Road, in the very neighborhood where he grew up as a young boy.

At one point in his career in Somerville, Wall got caught in a flashover fire and was forced to bail out of a second floor window. He landed on his back with his air pack on. Wall broke his pelvic bone, spleen and just about everything else in his body.

Wall was out with an  injury  for a year and a half and could have of retired on a full pension but decided to come back to work at his old assignment, E-3, the busiest company in the city.

Wall’s comrade Somerville Firefighter Thomas Kelley has worked with Lt. Wall at Engine 3 for 17 years.

Also comrade Somerville Firefighter Thomas Carroll and Lt. Wall have known each other since they were six years old and have served the Somerville Fire Department for a combined 80 years.

Lieutenant Wall’s father was also a firefighter and he also has two sons on the job as firefighters as well.

According to some of Lieutenant Wall’s comrades, “He is a  Somerville living legend!”