Marsha McCurdy Adell has retired after 24 years with the West Hartford Fire Department.
By Ronni Newton
Deputy Fire Marshal Marsha McCurdy Adell has retired from the West Hartford Fire Department after a trailblazing and award-winning 24-year career, but even though she is no longer involved in emergency management, she said she’s not leaving town and will continue her dedication to community service.
Adell, who earned her master’s in public administration after transitioning from operations to West Hartford’s Fire Marshal’s Office, has joined Leadership Greater Hartford as the director of the Third Age Initiative – a program designed to assist retired individuals who are looking to take the next step in their personal development in the direction of positively impacting the community. It’s ironic, she said – or perhaps coincidental – that she is leading a program that helps others channel their passion into new directions, which is exactly what she is doing in her own retirement.
Marsha Adell. Courtesy photo
“When I first got on the job I saw a lot of people retiring,” Adell said. They were still young, and had so much left to give, and she wondered how and when she would consider retiring. “You know when it’s time,” she said those retirees told her, and after 24 years, she was ready.
“Half my life has been given to the service of the West Hartford Fire Department,” said Adell.
Town Manager Rick Ledwith, in an announcement to the Town Council Thursday about Adell’s decision, not only congratulated her and wished her well in her new job, but also highlighted the barriers she has broken throughout her career and the enormous contributions she has made.
“It’s important to remember and celebrate the achievements of Marsha, who broke barriers and made history in her community. Born and raised in West Hartford and a graduate of Conard High School, Marsha’s impact as the first Black female firefighter employed by the department, being the first black female graduate of the CT Fire Academy Recruit Program is a testament to her trailblazing spirit and dedication to public service that inspired many women of color who would not traditionally consider a career in the fire service,” Ledwith wrote. “Over the course of 24 years, she served as the first Black female line firefighter in the Operations Division, Fire Inspector, and Deputy Fire Marshal.”
Marsha Adell is sworn in as deputy fire marshal. West Hartford Fire Department badging ceremony. Feb. 16, 2022. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
She led efforts to engage the West Hartford community, initially when she was pregnant with her now-9-year-old twin daughters, and later when she became a fire inspector and then, in January 2022, when she was promoted to deputy fire marshal. She produced several fire safety videos that are still in use, and were especially valuable ways of messaging during the pandemic. After earning four Bronze Stars while she worked in operations, she won several awards for community risk reduction since joining the Fire Marshal’s Office.
Adell has always been involved in the community outside of her job with the fire department, and has had her own consulting agency focused on “diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging” since 2007. She said when she decided to retire from the West Hartford Fire Department, she was looking at various nonprofit roles.
“One of my friends said to me, ‘it’s the perfect opportunity for you to pursue your passion project,'” Adell said.
Leadership Greater Hartford is an organization she already knew about as having an amazing impact in the community and a great resource for leadership. “A number of their programs were very familiar to me,” she said.
She knows she will still be serving the community and giving back, and she is excited about the opportunity to help others who have decided to retire but may need help navigating that off-ramp, who may be searching to stave off loneliness or looking to find a way to continue to drive positive change by forming a new network and collaborating with others on community projects.
“This brought everything together, without the emergency component,” she said of her new role.
Adell said even though her career in the fire service has ended, she has much more to give. “I’m from a long line of servant leadership, and it doesn’t end just because my career has ended.” She has no plans to leave West Hartford, which has been a great place to grow up and where she is enjoying raising her children, being involved with the schools, Girl Scouts, and their other activities.
Firefighter Marsha Adell shows off some safety devices. Photo credit: Ronni Newton (we-ha.com file photo, 2015)
The following is the text of a note she shared with We-Ha.com, that she sent to West Hartford Fire Department members when she officially retired on July 15: “This year marks not only 24 years of service with the West Hartford Fire Department, but also the incredible milestone of having spent half of my life in service to the town where I grew up and where I’m raising my twin girls. As my fire service career comes to a close and I join the elite club of retirees, anyone can guess that this decision is bittersweet. While I look forward to embarking on new and exciting pursuits, I also look back on the privilege I’ve had working alongside exceptional brothers and sisters from whom I’ve learned valuable lessons both personally and professionally. I appreciate all of you for making this career that I’m incredibly proud of, one that is deeply rewarding and fulfilling.
“Of course, I’d be remiss if I didn’t remind you to continue to take pride in the job, take care of each other, and remember that, as Local 1241 members at any rank, you hit the lottery. Enjoy it and be safe,” she wrote.
And Adell had special words of thanks to former Assistant Chief Mike Sinsigalli, who retired several years ago, and who helped her throughout her career when she pivoted to office work while pregnant, and later to the position in the Fire Marshal’s Office. “He really made a difference for me,” she said.
“Marsha’s contributions to the town and department have been extensive and invaluable, inevitably improving the safety of the community and the department itself. Throughout her career, we have been honored to see her featured in numerous articles and public presentations representing the West Hartford Fire Department and her personal career accomplishments. She has been a vocal, passionate, and effective advocate for young women. She always seeks to remove barriers and develop pathways with the hope of adding diversity not just to our ranks in West Hartford but to the fire service overall,” Ledwith said.
“We are grateful for Marsha’s unwavering commitment and the positive impact she has made on our fire department and our community,” said Ledwith. Please join me in expressing our heartfelt appreciation and best wishes to Marsha as she embarks on this new chapter in her life.”
Those interested in applying for the upcoming Third Age Initiative at Leadership Greater Hartford, which is the 18th cohort of the program, are encouraged to attend an information session, offered both in person and virtually on Zoom. Attendance is limited to 10 participants per session. For more information and to apply, please visit www.leadershipgh.org/third-
Marsha Adell, Third Age Initiative Director, at marsha.adell@leadershipgh.org or 860-206-5066.
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