New recruits come from fire families and military

By George P. Hassett

Of the six Somerville firefighters sworn onto the force last Thursday, three are continuing family traditions, while the other three come to the job after serving their country in the military. Some have wanted to be on the job since childhood while others learned to appreciate firefighting in times of war and crisis. But they all begin together on Oct 15.

Ward 1 alderman Bill Roche said he believes the six newcomers are “Six of the finest candidates to come into the city in a long time.” He said all six are Somerville residents.

New city firefighter Danielle Phillips said when other little girls were playing with Barbie dolls she was putting out imaginary blazes with her toy fire truck. Phillips’ uncle is Somerville Fire Lieutenant Charles Houghton and she never missed a chance to ask him about his days on the job.

“The stories were so inspiring. I wanted to hear more every time,” she said.

Derek Nolan comes from a family of firefighters too, following his father – a Somerville firefighter – onto the job. Nolan, who has worked for the Middlesex Sheriff’s Office, said he’s been waiting to start his new job his entire life.

“I’m very excited. I just want to get out there, give 100 percent and start my new career,” he said.

The Somerville Firefighter class of 2007 also boasts a third member with firefighting in their bloodlines. Ken Lipitz, a graduate of Marquette, is the son of a Quincy firefighter.

Fire Union President Jay Colbert said newcomers to the force with firefighters in the family benefit from the experience.

“When they come from firefighting families they’re passionate about the job, they know the job. They understand the time away from home [the job] calls for. They’re not going to see any surprises,” he said.

Michael Marino does not come from a family of firefighters but he is passionate about the job, nonetheless. Marino said he has wanted to be a firefighter since he was a kid and has worked towards that goal for years. He joined the Navy, worked as a Navy firefighter and became an auxiliary Somerville firefighter to reach his goal —- which he did Thursday night when he became a Somerville firefighter. He said, like Phillips, his new job is the realization of a lifelong dream.

“I used to play with the toy fire engine and wear the plastic red hat like any kid,” he said. “But now I’ll have the real thing.”

Two of the new recruits join the squad after working in high-pressure situations. 46-year-old rookie Tom Gorman served in the U.S. army in Kuwait during the Iraq war from February 2003 to March 2004 (see sidebar) and Michael Finnegan served in the U.S. Navy. However, Finnegan did not have a passion to become a firefighter until he volunteered to help hurricane victims in New Orleans in the wake of Katrina. He said he saw how firefighters helped the dire situation and, suddenly, he had a new desire to be one of them.

The six new faces in city firehouses are a welcome addition for a department facing a serious shortage of manpower, Colbert said. After Thursday night, the six new hires will bring the department up to 143 personnel. Colbert said 180 firefighters are needed for the department to be at full strength. He said low numbers are one of the factors keeping Engine 4 closed. And while manpower has been dwindling the workload firefighters face has been growing —- the Somerville Fire Department now responds to twice the number of calls it responded to 20 years ago, he said.

The recruits will now go on to the fire academy for more training before they can join the ranks of firefighters ready to go up against the city’s most serious infernos.

"And then by the spring, they will be ready to roll," he said.

46-year-old rookie firefighter defies age

By George P. Hassett

If men over 40 are supposed to be “over the hill” with their best years behind them, somebody forgot to tell Tom Gorman —- a 46-year-old Somerville native who became the city’s oldest rookie firefighter last Thursday night when he was sworn onto the force. Gorman’s latest achievement is a continuation of impressive accomplishments he has put together since he turned 40. Shortly following the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Center Gorman, at 41, joined the United States Army, eventually serving in Kuwait during the war.

Gorman said his after 40 exploits are “just things he wanted to do to help” but fellow rookie firefighter Danielle Phillips, who trained with Gorman for the department, came away impressed.

“He blew all the kids in their twenties away,” she said. “He’s a soft spoken guy but he’s an animal when it comes to training and fitness.”

She said Gorman will have no problem keeping up with his 20-something fellow rookies. “Age is just a number for him,” she said.

Gorman served in the United States Army as an engineer in Kuwait from April 2003 to April 2004. He was inspired to sign back up with the armed forces, he had been in the National
Guard at 21, after seeing the devastation of Sept. 11.

“[The attacks] really got to me. I knew I had to do something,” he said. “What could I do though? I didn’t want to lash out at an innocent person, waving a flag didn’t seem like it could really help. The country needed people to serve and I thought that was how I could help.”

Gorman was given an exemption by military officials to enlist, despite his advanced age, because of his prior service in the National Guard. If he had waited one more year, he would not have been allowed to enlist, he said.

As an engineer in Kuwait, Gorman said he need to be on alert at all times. “It’s considered a hostile area and in the military you’re prepared for the worst,” he said.

When he first joined, Gorman said his much younger peers underestimated him because he was a 41-year-old private. “They were thinking, this guy must be a real screw up to be a private at his age. But they saw what I was made of. I left there a sergeant,” he said.

Gorman made it home from the war safely and went back to his job at the city’s Department of Public Works. Soon though, he was drawn to the city’s fire department. He had taken the test to become a firefighter in the mid 1980s —- when his fellow rookies were still in elementary school —- but said he became more determined to get the job after serving in the military.

“[The fire department] is like an extension of the military. They’re both made up of a lot of very brave people willing to sacrifice to help others. That’s the kind of thing I love to be a part of,” he said.

Gorman’s arrival to the city’s fire department has been eagerly anticipated by firefighters who know of his physical prowess.

“We’ve been waiting to get this guy for years now. He’s like a bull, he’ll fit right in here,” said Fire Union President Jay Colbert.

Gorman said at 46 he still has plenty left in the tank to learn the job and do it well. ‚ÄúI don‚Äôt know anything about firefighting but I‚Äôm excited to learn,‚Äù he said. ‚ÄúPhysically I‚Äôm not doing anything different. I‚Äôm boxing, working with weights, all the things I did as a teenager.‚Äù