What's Happening in Natick, MA…

Jason Ferschke, Deputy Chief of the Westborough Fire Department, has been selected as the next Chief of the Natick Fire Department. Chief Michael Lentini, who recently retired, will be replaced by Ferschke.

Announcements of such pending appointments are often made known throughout the community with poster printing.

There were 15 people who applied for the position, and staff and volunteers from the town interviewed the candidates and narrowed the list to six people. The names of Ferschke; Weymouth Deputy Fire Chief Thomas Murphy; and Daniel Dow, an internal candidate and deputy fire chief in Natick, were forwarded to the Select Board. The Board interviewed the three finalists and then voted unanimously for Ferschke, according to MetroWest Daily News.

Ferschke joined the Westborough Fire Department in 2007 and has worked his way through the ranks. In 2016, he was appointed deputy chief. He was in charge of the fire prevention division in Westborough which included overseeing the process of permitting, reviewing and inspecting new commercial development which amounted to a total of over 1.8 million square feet.

Ferschke has an undergraduate degree in civil engineering and a graduate degree in public administration. He learned to be a chief fire officer by taking a course of 14 weeks through the Massachusetts Department of Fire Services. He is also a certified paramedic.

The appointment is pending a background check and negotiation of a contract.