Community Corner
Westborough Selects Next Fire Chief
The Westborough Select Board chose the town's next fire chief after interviewing two finalists during its Tuesday meeting.
WESTBOROUGH, MA — A longtime Westborough firefighter has been selected to lead the department following the retirement of Chief Patrick Purcell.
The Westborough Select Board chose Capt. Daniel Hehir to serve as Westborough's next fire chief after publicly interviewing him and Capt. Roger Busha as finalist candidates during a meeting on Tuesday. Hehir will succeed Purcell, whose retirement took effect Sunday.
“We look forward to Chief Hehir’s leadership and desire to serve the residents to continue to move our organization forward,” the Westborough Fire Department said in announcing the appointment.
Find out what's happening in Westboroughfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
The department did not provide an effective date for Hehir’s promotion.
The Select Board voted 3-2 in June to limit the search to current Westborough Fire Department supervisors, according to town meeting minutes. A nine-member search committee reviewed four qualified applicants before advancing Hehir and Busha as finalists.
Find out what's happening in Westboroughfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Hehir had already served 25 years with the department by 2019, according to the Massachusetts Department of Fire Services. That year, state officials presented him with an Excellence in Leadership Award for his work providing peer support and critical incident stress management services to firefighters and police officers following traumatic incidents.
Chief Patrick Purcell Retires
Purcell joined the Westborough Fire Department in July 1999 as a firefighter/paramedic after previously working for Worcester EMS and the Oxford Fire Department, according to a 2015 interview with Patch. He was promoted from captain to chief in October 2015.
Purcell has also held a statewide leadership role. In May 2025, he was installed as the 103rd president of the Fire Chiefs Association of Massachusetts during the group's annual meeting in Westborough.
"Throughout his tenure, he consistently demonstrated professionalism, compassion, and a deep commitment to serving residents and supporting his department members," according to an announcement in the town's quarterly newsletter. "The Town thanks Chief Purcell for his many contributions and wishes him a happy, healthy, and well-deserved retirement."
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