The West Hartford Fire Department recently held a badge pinning ceremony at Town Hall.

By Ronni Newton

The West Hartford Fire Department has appointed Jay Silver as assistant chief, and he was recently welcomed, along with several other new hires and promotions, at a ceremony at West Hartford Town Hall.

The badge pinning ceremony was held on Sept. 11, the 23rd anniversary of what Chief Greg Priest called the “worst terrorist attack” on U.S. soil, when tragically 343 firefighters, along with 71 police officers, were among the thousands who died on that day or due to proximate events.

“To date, many more have succumbed to the exposure to these events from correlated health issues or trauma,” Priest said, but the message he wanted to emphasize about the significance of the date was the unity felt among Americans following that event, “especially the dedication, commitment, selflessness, and willingness of the responders who rushed to danger, and paying the ultimate price.”

Priest officially welcomed Silver, who joined the West Hartford Fire Department in August after serving more than 29 years with the East Hartford Fire Department and with 35 years of fire service experience. He filled the critical senior leadership vacancy left by the retirement of Hugh O’Callaghan earlier this year.

Deputy Chief Jarrad Smith, who served as emcee for the ceremony, shared Silver’s background, which included line and staff positions in East Hartford. He spent 10 years as the chief training officer, was a deputy chief and command officer for seven years, and also managed the operations team.

Silver has a master’s degree in public administration, a bachelor’s degree in fire administration, and an associate’s degree in paramedic studies. “He is a certified fire officer III, fire instructor III, hazardous materials technician, health and safety officer and many others. Assistant Chief Silver has been an active member of the Connecticut Fire Department Instructors’ Association, Connecticut Fire Chiefs Association, Capitol Region Fire Chiefs, and served as the operations officer for the Capitol Region Hazardous Materials Response Team,” Smith said.

“Attracting a chief of his caliber is a significant accomplishment and a direct reflection of our department and our overall community,” Priest said. Silver, he said, is aligned and committed “not just in words but in the heart.”

Also celebrated were two newly-promoted deputy fire marshals, James Paul, Jr. and Christopher Wilcox. “While the Fire Marshal’s Office is much smaller in terms of personnel, they play a critical role in the protection and preparedness of our community through inspections, plan reviews, fire investigation, and community fire education programs,” said Priest.

Paul has been a fire inspector in West Hartford since 2022, following his retirement as chief of the Southington Fire Department. He served in the U.S. Air Force for four years as a B52 crew chief, and began his 37 years of fire service as a volunteer firefighter in Branford prior to joining the Southington Fire Department in 1993.

Wilcox, whose father is a retired lieutenant with the Simsbury Fire Department, has been a fire inspector in West Hartford since July 2023, and joined the department with a background of 14 years in the fire service and 10 years in fire investigation and code enforcement, Smith said. “He is a Connecticut Certified Fire Marshal, Fire and Life Safety Educator, Youth Fire Setter Intervention Specialist, Fire Service Instructor and Fire Officer II. Outside of the fire service, Chris is an avid wildlife photographer and woodworker.”

Three of the four newly-hired firefighters were also present to receive their badges at the Sept. 11 ceremony.

Casey, who just graduated from the fire academy, is from South Glastonbury. Smith said that he was inspired to pursue a career as a first responder by his brother, Derek, who is in law enforcement.

Joey DiMattia and Zach Gauthier, new recruits who also took the oath of office and received their badges, just began their fire academy training this month.

DiMattia has a bachelor’s degree in strength and conditioning from UConn and was a coach before attending the Capital Community College paramedic program and joining the Bristol Hospital EMS where he worked for three years before being hired by the West Hartford Fire Department.

Gauthier is a Connecticut native who lived out of state for 11 years before returning to the area over the summer so his children could grow up close to their family. “Zach served 10 years in the Army Reserves as a Critical Care Flight Paramedic with a NATO deployment to Kosovo. He left the army at the rank of sergeant. Zach’s father was his biggest influence as a volunteer Firefighter and EMT growing up he knew he wanted a career in public safety,” Smith said as he read Gauthier’s biography.

Smith was most recently a firefighter/paramedic in Texas and a tactical medic with the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office before being hired by the West Hartford Fire Department.

Shelby Mitchell, who recently graduated from the fire academy with Farrell, was not able to attend the badge pinning. Dante Pezzolesi, who has been promoted to apparatus operator, was also not present for the ceremony.

Priest said that as of now, all vacancies in the Operations Division have been filled, and the department is even prepared for the future. “In the context of waning interest in public service and national challenges with retention and recruiting, it is a significant indicator reflective of our town and department, our brand and outreach efforts, and the quality of our membership when we can go from 14 vacancies in FY2018 to full today and with the corresponding high caliber of people we are hiring.”

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