Crime & Safety

Firefighter of the Month: Acting Deputy Barry Galvin

Acting Deputy Barry Galvin recently passed the civil service exam to become deputy fire chief.

Acting Deputy Barry Galvin joined the in 1993, and recently passed the civil service exam to become deputy fire chief.

Galvin grew up in Danvers and received his Master's Degree in Fire and Emergency Management from Anna Maria College. He first joined the Middleton Fire Department in 1990 as a call firefighter before he became a North Reading firefighter 19 years ago.

The North Reading resident was promoted to captain in 2005, and most recently to acting deputy in October of 2011.

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He recently passed the statewide civil service exam for deputy fire chief and is still waiting for the town to appoint a permanent fire chief. Once that is complete, Galvin should become deputy.

The test was timed, and about 80 questions, he said. However, to prepare Galvin had to study 3,000 to 4,000 pages of information.

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When asked which rank he preferred, Galvin said, "I liked them all, really."

"You get out and you get to help people," he said. That is what he likes most about being a firefighter: helping people.

For the future, his goal is to "keep learning everyday and do the best job that I can for the community in whatever position I am in," he said.

He spends most of his spare time with his three daughters. He coaches their softball teams and goes to their games and activities.


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