Dalton Fire Chief Swearing in Ceremony Monday

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
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DALTON, Mass. — The Fire District is inviting community members to a swearing-in ceremony for the new fire chief on Monday, Jan. 29, at 6 p.m. in the Stationary Factory. 
 
During its meeting on Tuesday, the district announced it has hired Berkshire County native
Christian Tobin as Fire Department's 10th permanent fire chief.
 
The district combed through 15 applications for the position and selected Tobin, who they felt was a good fit. 
 
"We feel he has a lot of common sense and knowledge in the Fire Department and in the running of the fire department and hopefully everything will work out from this point forward," Driscoll said during a conversation with iBerkshires. 
 
Tobin has 24 years of experience in the field and just recently retired as a deputy chief of operations for the Greater Naples Fire Rescue District in the state of Florida. He is also a veteran of the Marine Corps.
 
He holds a bachelor of science in public safety administration and a master's degree in public administration. In addition, he is a candidate for a juris masters in legal studies at Hodges University in Fort Myers, Fla.
 
"Chief Tobin is committed to community engagement and proactive fire prevention. He hopes to spearhead new outreach initiatives collaborating with local schools, community organizations, and businesses to raise awareness about fire safety with fire prevention programs," a press release from the district states. 
 
"It is his belief that fostering strong relationships with community stakeholders helps build trust and enhances overall community resilience.”
 
The district has been searching for a new fire chief since May after the previous chief, James Peltier, was placed on administrative leave and subsequently fired.  
 
"The district has gone through an exhaustive search looking for a new chief to replace Jim Peltier that was released in mid-summer. We feel that the new chief will bring the department together," Fire District Chair James Driscoll said in an interview with iBerkshires. 
 
Retired Pittsfield Fire Chief Robert Czerwinski, who agreed to act as interim chief, will remain with the department until the new chief takes over.
 
Since Peltier's exit, the district has gone through three interim chiefs. 
 
Chris Cachat was initially selected as the interim chief but then retired; Corey Wilcox took his place but could only do it for a limited time period because he had already accepted a position with the Pittsfield Fire Department. 

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Truck Crashes Into Pittsfield's Samel's Deli

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

Elm Street will be partially closed as cleanup continues. 

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Wednesday morning was busy for Pittsfield first responders, as a pickup truck crashed into Samel's Deli & Catering and a fire broke out on First Street.

Around 9:45 a.m., the police reported that the street in front of Samel's Deli & Catering would be closed or down to one lane as a result of a two-car collision that sent the truck careening into the deli.

The department posted two photos on Facebook, one depicting the silver truck with New York license plates crashed through the glass of the front entrance and another of a white Honda CR-V with significant damage to the front end.

"A vehicle was coming out of one of the alleyways here and struck this truck, which continued into the building," Police Officer Craig Jones explained when iBerkshires arrived on the scene.

Jones reported that there was one injury but whether it was someone in the vehicles or in the deli. A crossing signal near Samel's front entrance was also taken out by the truck.

Around this time, crews worked to clear debris in front of the restaurant as the truck was towed away. That section of the road reopened around 11 a.m.

The police, firefighters and an ambulance responded to the accident and police intend to release a statement on the incident.

Around 6:15 a.m., the Fire Department reported that it had responded to a possible structure fire at 233-235 First St. Windows on all three floors of the multi-family building are now broken or boarded up and the cause is under investigation by the Fire Investigation Unit and investigators from the State Fire Marshal's Office.

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