| GLOUCESTER — Chief Eric Smith announces that after nearly 33 years of service, Assistant Fire Chief Tom Aiello will retire from the Gloucester Fire Department this week. |
| Assistant Chief Aiello will officially step down from his role on July 9. He first started at the Gloucester Fire Department in 1984 as a firefighter, a position he held for more than 10 years. |
| In 1995, Aiello was promoted to captain, and in 1998 became deputy chief. |
| Then, in 2014, after serving more than 15 years as deputy chief, Aiello was promoted by Mayor Carolyn Kirk as the department’s first assistant chief. The assistant chief role was identified as a critical need for the department back in 2009 during an independent audit, and was later confirmed as a critical need by Chief Smith in 2012. During the department’s reorganization process, while serving as the department’s deputy chief, Aiello demonstrated his steady handed, reasonable approach to making major changes possible. |
| Additionally, Assistant Chief Aiello has responded to nearly every multiple alarm fire in Gloucester since 1995. He has been a part of numerous initiatives in the department, including working as a senior officer, where he provided policy and procedure leadership to his peers. He also mentored new officers and was in charge of all personnel matters during his time as a deputy and assistant chief. As a union negotiation committee member, he was instrumental in bringing forward the changes needed to allow for the reorganization of the Gloucester Fire Department that took effect in July of 2014. |
| “Assistant Chief Aiello has spent more than 32 years dedicated to Gloucester, its residents and his brother and sister firefighters,” Chief Smith said. “On behalf of the entire department I want to thank him for his service over the years. We all wish him a happy retirement.” |
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