STONEHAM—Fire Chief Matthew Grafton is pleased to announce that the Stoneham Fire Department promoted two of its members earlier this week.
On Tuesday, Jan. 12, the department promoted Lt. Robert Dalis to the rank of captain and firefighter Rick Darragh to the rank of lieutenant in a ceremony at Town Hall.
Chief Grafton praised the work Capt. Dalis and Lt. Darragh did to prepare for tests this November to qualify for each rank, which required numerous hours of reading and study on various topics including Massachusetts General Law and eight firefighting books.
“It is a huge undertaking and commitment to memorize the bulk of information,” Grafton said. “If you are not 100 percent committed then you probably will not pass.”
During his speech at Tuesday’s ceremony, Chief Grafton recognized the personal sacrifices each firefighter made to advance to their new ranks. Chief Grafton also thanked each firefighter’s wife for supporting her husband’s efforts over the last year.
“This dedication required and demonstrated by both Rick and Rob takes time away from their families because you have to be thinking and memorizing the information constantly,” Chief Grafton said. “This means that every night, every weekend, especially closer to November, they are living in the books.”
Capt. Dalis joined the Stoneham Fire Department in 2009 and was promoted to lieutenant in 2015. He has a bachelor’s degree in marine safety and environmental protection from the Massachusetts Maritime Academy and is currently working on a master’s degree in public administration at Anna Maria College. He is also a certified emergency medical technician and a certified Fire Instructor I.
He serves the department in various areas as a Fire Prevention officer, Training Officer, Public Life Safety Educator, S.A.F.E./Senior S.A.F.E. Coordinator, and member of the departments’ Active Shooter/Hostile Threat training program.
Lt. Darragh joined the Stoneham Fire Department in 2008, after serving in the United States Marine Corps and studying fire science at Middlesex Community College. During his time in the Marine Corps, he deployed to Kosovo and Iraq serving on amphibious assault vehicles. While in Iraq, he was responsible for 36 marines in his platoon as well as serialized equipment. Lt. Darragh was honorably discharged as a corporal from the Marine Corps in 2003.
Since joining the department, Lt. Darragh has completed Massachusetts Fire Academy courses including Fire Instructor I and II, Fire Officer I, and Advanced Fire Investigator. He is a member of the Fire Department’s Dive Team and the Fire Investigation Unit, and is certified in Dive Rescue I. He is currently working on his Advanced Fire Investigator certification. Since Sept. 1, he has also been working as an acting lieutenant.
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