Montague Center fire chief retiring after 38 years with department
Published: 06-04-2025 4:48 PM |
MONTAGUE CENTER — After 38 years with the Montague Center Fire Department and nearly a decade at its helm, Chief David Hansen is ready to start a new chapter in his life — retirement.
Hansen, 71, joined the Montague Center department in 1987 and rose through the ranks until he became chief in January 2016, succeeding John Greene, who died last month. Hansen also worked with the Orange Fire Department from 1989 to 1997 in a full-time capacity while volunteering in Montague Center.
After getting an extension from the state to stay past the mandatory retirement age of 65, “It’s time,” Hansen said simply. His plans following his June 30 retirement date entail moving east to Scituate.
In reflecting on his years of leadership, Hansen said he met his goals of updating the department’s equipment and increasing staffing, while also hiring younger firefighters as existing members age out. He feels proud to be leaving with a crew of 23 firefighters, three of whom are also emergency medical technicians who are in their late 20s to 30s.
Hansen said taking in younger recruits has also given the department’s older members an opportunity to retrain while working with the new firefighters. Through weekly trainings on Thursdays, he said they’ve been able to work with various pieces of equipment and experience different scenarios, with recaps posted to the department’s Facebook page — a responsibility Hansen once held but that has been picked up by a younger staff member.
“Having new people come in really was good for us, because it made us wake up,” Hansen said, noting that it helped the experienced firefighters share their knowledge with others while also learning which areas they could use training in. “We got to go back and cover this again, which was good for us, because you should never stop training.”
In a similar vein, having led the Montague Center department for a decade now and coming into the leadership role with many years of experience, Hansen said the biggest thing he’s learned is to never stop learning.
“The main thing I always tell myself, and tell people, is you can never stop learning. There’s always stuff to learn,” he said. “Every time I go to a fire scene … I’m always paying attention and seeing how other people do things, because when you stop learning, then that’s when mistakes start getting made — assuming that you know how to do everything right and you don’t.”
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Hansen recalls a handful of eventful calls in his time with the department, particularly the Mohawk Plastics Inc. fire in Bernardston in 1994, but the bonding and community outreach experiences are what stick with him, including Montague Center Fire Association events, firemen’s musters at the Franklin County Fairgrounds and the annual bonfire for Independence Day.
With Hansen retiring by the end of June, a new chief has already been chosen to lead the department. Turners Falls Fire Capt. Luke Hartnett will take the reins come July 1 after he was given the job by the Montague Center Fire District Prudential Committee.
Having known Hartnett from the Turners Falls Fire Department and with him joining Montague Center in the past year, Hansen said he is pleased with his successor’s skills, experience and personality.
“Our relationship with Turners Falls Fire is excellent,” Hansen said. “We work so well together and this will just make it another step to making that even better.”
Although it’s time to retire, Hansen said he’s going to miss his community and the family he’s found at the department.
“The people, our connection, the family atmosphere of it,” he said, adding that when he moves into his new home with his partner on the South Shore, “I’m gonna be the chief dishwasher engineer.”
Erin-Leigh Hoffman can be reached at ehoffman@recorder.com or 413-930-4231.