Norwood Firefighters Local 1631

06/15/2026

Today isn’t about politics. It isn’t about social media debates, and it isn’t about who can make the loudest argument.

It’s about what we value as a community.

Norwood has always been a town that comes together when it matters most. We support our schools, our seniors, our neighbors, and the services that make this a place people are proud to call home. The decisions we make today will shape the kind of town we leave to the next generation.

Every person voting today has to answer one simple question: when the people entrusted with protecting this community tell us what they need to do the job safely and effectively, do we listen?

You don’t have to agree on everything. But we all want the same outcome — a safe, strong, and prepared Norwood.

Today, you have the opportunity to invest in that future.

Please vote YES on Question 1.

06/14/2026

Today, on Firefighter Memorial Sunday, we pause to remember and honor all of the members of the Norwood Fire Department who came before us. We reflect on their service, their sacrifice, and the legacy they left behind through their dedication to protecting this community.

We remember especially these four Norwood firefighters who made the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty:

Deputy Louis Parker – Deputy Parker was operating at the Bird Flooring Plant fire. While directing the placement of ladders and hose lines, he collapsed and was transported to Norwood Hospital, where he later died from injuries sustained in the performance of his duty.

Captain Joseph McCormack – Captain McCormack fought a large fire at the tannery on Endicott Street, where he inhaled a significant amount of smoke. The following day, while en route to department training, he became ill. He was transported to Norwood Hospital and later transferred to Boston, where he succumbed to injuries sustained in the line of duty.

Firefighter John Lydon – Firefighter Lydon was driving the ladder truck back from a fire on Hill Street where he inhaled a significant amount of smoke, he collapsed behind the wheel of the ladder truck returning to quarters. He was transported to Norwood Hospital, where he was pronounced deceased, having given his life in service to the Town of Norwood.

Firefighter Charles McDonough – Firefighter McDonough was operating at a fire at Turnpike Lumber on Route 1. During firefighting operations, he was exposed to toxic smoke released. As a result of the exposure sustained Firefighter McDonough later died from his injuries.

On this Firefighter Memorial Sunday, we ask our community to remember that behind every badge is a person who willingly accepts extraordinary risk in service to others. The names etched into our history are more than stories from the past—they are reminders of the courage, sacrifice, and commitment that define the fire service.

May we never forget Deputy Louis Parker, Captain Joseph McCormack, Firefighter John Lydon, Firefighter Charles McDonough, and all Norwood firefighters who have gone before us.

These memorial plaques will be affixed to the Public Safety Building later this year in honor of their sacrifice

06/14/2026

Great turn out today in support of Norwood’s public safety! Vote YES on Monday! Thank you!

06/14/2026

Over the last few weeks, we’ve heard a lot about debt, budgets, salaries, and tax formulas. Those are important conversations. But tomorrow’s vote comes down to one question:

Do we believe Norwood should continue protecting a 2026 community with a 1970s staffing model?

Since 1975, Norwood’s emergency call volume has nearly tripled. The town has grown more complex, EMS demand has exploded, and independent studies, multiple Fire Chiefs, the Police Chief, Town Meeting, and public safety professionals have all reached the same conclusion: Norwood needs more police officers and firefighters.

You don’t have to agree with every decision made at Town Hall. You don’t have to love paying more in taxes. But when the people responsible for answering your call for help tell you the system is stretched too thin, we should listen.

Opponents have raised concerns about affordability, and every resident should weigh that carefully. But no one has presented a credible alternative plan that addresses the reality of today’s emergency demand while maintaining the level of service Norwood expects. The need itself has not been disputed only how to pay for it.

Public safety isn’t a luxury to be funded only when it’s convenient. It is one of the fundamental responsibilities of local government. We insure our homes hoping we never need it, yet we willingly pay for that protection year after year. The men and women who answer 911 calls provide that same protection for our entire community, every single day.

This vote isn’t about rewarding public safety. It’s about preserving it.

Tomorrow, every resident has to decide what matters more: hoping the current system keeps holding together… or investing in the people we expect to show up on our worst day.

Because the debate ends the moment it’s your house, your family, or your emergency.

Vote YES Tomorrow for Public Safety.

06/14/2026

Happy 251st Birthday to the United States Army!

06/11/2026

Public safety decisions shouldn’t be based on who can make the loudest argument on social media. They should be based on the experience, data, and professional judgment of the people entrusted with protecting this community every single day.

The recommendation to increase staffing wasn’t made lightly. It came from the Fire Chief, supported by years of response data, increasing call volume, growing demands on EMS, and the realities of providing fire protection in 2026—not 1975. These are the same professionals we trust to make split-second decisions at structure fires, major medical emergencies, and during our community’s worst moments.

Everyone is entitled to their opinion about funding and taxes. But there’s a difference between debating how to pay for something and dismissing the expertise of the people responsible for keeping Norwood safe. You don’t have to agree with the recommendation, but pretending that Facebook comments carry more weight than decades of training, operational experience, and firsthand knowledge of our community’s needs does a disservice to the conversation.

At the end of the day, this vote comes down to a simple question: When the professionals charged with protecting Norwood tell us what they need to do the job safely and effectively, do we listen—or do we decide that internet experts know better?

Because if we trust the Fire Chief and firefighters to lead when seconds count, their expertise shouldn’t suddenly become optional when they’re telling us what it takes to protect this town.

We ask for your support Monday June 15th VOTE YES for Public Safety

06/09/2026

The question has been asked: “What does this override actually buy?” That’s a fair question. The answer is measurable, and rooted in public safety not politics.

For the Fire Department, this override increases staffing from levels that have remained largely unchanged for nearly 50 years despite call volume nearly tripling. It allows Norwood to move closer to nationally recognized staffing standards and improves our ability to handle multiple emergencies at the same time.

What will residents actually see if this override passes?

• Increased daily staffing levels to better meet the demands of a community that has changed dramatically over the last 50 years.

• Improved staffing on fire apparatus, providing the personnel needed to perform critical fireground functions simultaneously during emergencies.

• A stronger emergency response system capable of handling multiple incidents occurring at the same time without immediately exhausting local resources.

• Enhanced fire protection for Norwood’s growing population, including nursing homes, elderly housing, multifamily developments, schools, industrial properties, and commercial districts.

• Greater operational depth to support large-scale incidents such as significant structure fires, hazardous materials emergencies, technical rescues, severe weather events, and other all-hazards responses.

• Improved continuity of emergency medical services, ensuring that fire protection remains in place while ambulances are committed to transporting patients outside of town.

• A public safety system better aligned with the realities of modern Norwood, where annual call volume has grown from approximately 2,500 calls in the 1970s to more than 7,000 calls today.

• Increased local capability to manage emergencies within Norwood while preserving mutual aid as the regional safety net it was intended to be.

• Dedicated training leadership to provide consistent, uninterrupted instruction and ensure firefighters maintain proficiency in the skills required to protect the community.

The question shouldn’t be, “Can we guarantee the exact number of seconds response times will improve?” The question is, “Is Norwood safer with more firefighters available to respond when you call 911?”

The answer is unequivocally yes.

We don’t buy insurance hoping we’ll need it. We invest in public safety hoping we never experience the day we depend on every available resource. But when that day comes, staffing matters.

This isn’t about “more is better.” It’s about correcting decades of stagnant staffing in a community that has changed dramatically.

Norwood has grown. The risks have grown. The staffing hasn’t. On June 15th, residents have the opportunity to decide whether public safety should finally catch up. Norwood didn’t outgrow its need for public safety. It outgrew the staffing levels of another era

06/07/2026

In 1985, Norwood Fire responded to 3,543 calls with 60 firefighters. Today, the department responds to more than 7,000 calls annually with the exact same staffing level.

Modern fire departments are not measured solely by structure fires. Firefighters and paramedics respond to cardiac arrests, overdoses, serious motor vehicle crashes, hazardous materials incidents, technical rescues, public safety emergencies, fire prevention inspections, and thousands of EMS calls every year. Those emergencies are just as real, just as time-sensitive, and just as dependent on having enough personnel available to respond.

The claim that firefighting is only a small percentage of the job somehow justifies inadequate staffing completely misses the point. The public doesn’t call 911 for one type of emergency. They call for whatever emergency they are facing at that moment, and they expect a trained, properly staffed response.

What continues to get lost in these discussions is that staffing is about capability. It’s about having enough firefighters and paramedics available when multiple incidents happen simultaneously, when ambulances are tied up, when a cardiac arrest occurs during a building fire, or when residents need help at 2 PM or 2 AM.

The numbers don’t support the narrative being pushed by opponents of the public safety staffing override. Nearly three times the call volume. Hundreds of mutual aid requests. Increased EMS demand. Larger and more complex occupancies. Modern staffing standards. Yet staffing remains where it was decades ago.

At some point, facts have to outweigh opinions. The data is clear, the workload is clear, and the need is clear. Repeating the same talking points doesn’t change the reality that Norwood is asking essentially the same number of firefighters to protect a community facing far greater demands than it did fifty years ago.

We respectfully ask residents to support public safety on June 15th and vote YES for the Public Safety Override.

Fifty years of stagnant staffing and three times the workload isn’t a budget problem—it’s a public safety problem. The question isn’t whether Norwood can afford proper staffing. It’s whether Norwood can afford to keep pretending it doesn’t need it.

06/06/2026

The National Weather Service is forecasting the potential for severe thunderstorms this evening between 6:00 PM and 11:00 PM. Damaging winds, frequent lightning, and heavy rain are the primary threats.

Please stay weather aware and seek shelter indoors if storms approach.

If you encounter a downed power line, stay away and call 911 immediately. Always assume downed wires are energized.

Update:
⛈️Continued risk for severe storms this evening

🕛Best timeframe for storms: 6-11 PM. Few storms may linger through midnight.

🗺️Greatest risk: W/NW of I95 (Interior SNE).

⚠️Hazards: Damaging winds, lightning, heavy rain.

📱Stay weather aware.

06/04/2026

Yesterday, Norwood Ladder 1 was dispatched to the Town of Franklin to provide station coverage while Franklin firefighters operated at a 2nd Alarm structure fire.

While en route, the incident escalated rapidly, and a 3rd Alarm was struck. Ladder 1 was redirected to the scene, where Norwood firefighters assisted with fire suppression operations, overhaul, and locating and extinguishing hot spots for more than two hours.

As Ladder 1 operated in Franklin, off-duty Norwood firefighters were called back in to staff apparatus and ensure uninterrupted coverage for the residents of Norwood.

Incidents like this highlight the strength of the mutual aid system, which allows neighboring departments to work together seamlessly when emergencies grow beyond the resources of a single community.

Great work by the Franklin Fire Department and all the mutual aid companies operating at the scene.