Fire Chief Anthony Greeley is not new to Norwood. He has served the town in the Fire Department for 27 years, and now he is its chief.
The Feb. 11 Oath of Office event was ceremonial, in that Greeley’s formal swearing in took place at Town Clerk Bob Thornton’s office on Monday, Feb. 4, Greeley’s first day as chief.
“This is truly a surreal moment for me. I still can’t believe I’m standing in front of you now, discussing the things we are now,” Greeley said. “I’m honored and I’m humbled to the core is what comes in to my mind. I truly am. It’s going to be a day that I’ll always remember. I’ll always remember today for the rest of my life.”
After taking the oath of office, Melanie Greeley, Anthony’s wife, pinned the Fire Department shield on the new chief’s shirt.
Greeley noted those in attendance, which included the entire Board of Selectmen, Sen. Mike Rush, a number of Norwood’s department heads, firefighters, police officers and many of Greeley’s family members and friends.
“To coin Mr. Lyons’s phrase, I love Norwood too. I really do. I really appreciate you all being here today, and that’s how I want to finish it,” Greeley said. “I want to say thank you. Thank you very, very much.”
Greeley has long been a member of the Norwood Fire Department. He joined the department 27 years ago as a firefighter. Seven years later, he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant. Nine years after this promotion, he was named the department’s Fire Prevention Officer, a position he held for 11 years.
“I know we’re going to have another terrific chief in the Fire Department in Tony,” General Manager John Carroll said, noting Greeley was the best among 24 applicants for the position, which included people from as far away as England. “I was determined to find the best fire chief anywhere for Norwood.”
After reviewing the applicants and interviewing seven candidates, it turned out the best fire chief was already in Norwood.
Selectman Mike Lyons said there was reason to be skeptical of this choice, but after review, acknowledges it is the right one.
“I was actually skeptical of, not necessarily of Tony, but of anyone from inside the department, because it’s such a hard transition to make when you’re asked to supervise people you were working side by side with,” Lyons said. “It’s one of the most difficult things that you can do. It’s hard on all sides, but the more I got to know Chief Greeley, the more I realized that he had what would it would take: the strength of character, the solid knowledge of the department and all the people in it.”
Greeley takes over for Acting Fire Chief Ron Maggio, who has led the department since Chief Michael Howard’s departure last year.
Staff writer Brad Cole can be reached at 781-433-8339 or bcole@wickedlocal.com. Like The Norwood Transcript and Bulletin on Facebook and follow @NorwoodTranscri on Twitter.
