DAVID T. AVEZZIE
Firefighter
appointed
By CARL E. HARTDEGEN
Staff Writer
WESTFIELD – The city’s Fire Commission filled a vacancy on the department last night when David T. Avezzie was hired as a paramedic qualified firefighter.
Avezzie was the only candidate interviewed by the commission and Fire Chief Mary Regan explained at the meeting that the other candidates on the active Civil Service list had either failed to sign an agreement to take the position if offered or had already been hired by another department.
However, Regan said that the commission had the option to hire the remaining candidate because he was at the top of the list.
Avezzie said that he initially became exposed to fire service work when he started to work as a call firefighter in his native East Longmeadow and, when he found he enjoyed the work, was encouraged to work for EMT certification.
He said that once that qualification was under his belt other firefighters pointed out that most firefighters had at least that certification and encouraged him to become a paramedic so that he would have an advantage in his pursuit of a career.
After qualifying as a paramedic, Avezzie continued to work for a private ambulance service until he joined the military and was deployed to Afghanistan.
There, Avezzie aid, he was stationed in Kabul until he volunteered for duty in the field where, he said “I had the best time of my life.” He said he worked with a Special Forces unit and was able to do medical work he would not have been able to do anywhere else.
“I performed surgical procedures I’ll never get to do again” he said and, when he completed his duty and was discharged, he started to pursue “a career I’ll be in for the rest of my life.”
He said that he is now ready to put down roots and hopes to buy a house and raise a family.
When asked what qualities he thought a firefighter should have he cited discipline and “confidence coupled with humility.”
“You’re only as good as a little less than you think you are” he said.
He said that both in the military and in his work with an ambulance service he has tried to be proactive and to make sure that he uses every experience as an opportunity to do a better job the next time.
Avezzie said “I love being a paramedic” and said he likes that “I’m always part of the solution when I show up.”
“I believe that I have a lot to offer the Westfield Fire Department” he said and apparently convinced the commission.
After a brief executive session to discuss Avezzie’s candidacy, the commission returned to open session and voted unanimously to appoint him to the department, contingent on the usual conditions.
He will have to pass a medical physical, a physical agility test, a hearing test and a CORI check. He may also have to complete the fire academy program but commissioner Carlo Bonivita mentioned, without explanation, that he may be exempt from that requirement.
Commission chairman Albert Masciadrelli said that Fire Chief Mary Regan will determine when he will start work at the department and said that he will call for another Civil Service list as there is another vacancy to be filled for a firefighter paramedic.
Carl E. Hartdegen can be reached at carlhartdegen@the westfieldnews.com
David T. Avezzi, an applicant for a firefighter paramedic position at the Westfield Fire Department, listens to questions from commission chairman Albert J. Masciadrelli and commissioner Patrick F. Olearcek during his interview last night. (Photo by Carl E. Hartdegen)
