Caitlin Dee
The Eagle-Tribune, North Andover, Mass.
(TNS)
ANDOVER – Kyle Murphy, the new chief of the Andover Fire Department, is no stranger to the community.
Murphy was born and raised in Andover, and ventured into the private sector before taking on a job as an Andover firefighter in 1998.
Murphy has risen through the ranks of the department, spending his first 12 years working on an ambulance and a year working on a fire engine. He quickly took a liking to the roles due to the interactive nature of the job.
“Being on the ambulance, you get out a lot. You had a lot of interaction with people,” Murphy said.
Shortly after his transition to the fire engine, Murphy took on a new role after passing a test and being promoted to lieutenant, an accomplishment that motivated him to continue pursuing higher-up roles.
“When I started taking the promotional test, my first was the lieutenant test. I said ‘Okay, let’s see where this goes,’” he said. “Then, I passed the test and I was fortunate enough to be promoted, and then I said, ‘I’ve been studying a bit, let’s just keep it going.”
Murphy did just that, continuing to study while remaining a lieutenant for four years and eventually securing the position of deputy fire chief, which gave him a new level of responsibility.
“The deputy runs the unit. You’re in charge of your truck, so when you move up to the deputy, there’s four units and there’s four deputies. So, each deputy was in charge of a unit, and so then I was in charge of a whole unit,” Murphy said.
Murphy remained a deputy for four years, which prepared him for the role of chief. This left him in an ideal position when former chief Michael Mansfield put in his retirement notice. Mansfield officially left his post earlier this month.
“I always was preparing for this role, and so when the opening came up, when he put his notice in for early retirement, I said, ‘All right, let’s see what happens,” Murphy said.
After an extensive selection process, Murphy was offered the job, a position he believes is suited to his personality, as he values open communication.
“I think people feel comfortable coming to talk to me. and I think that’s the sign of a good leader, that they feel comfortable coming to you, no matter what their rank is or how many years they’ve been there,” Murphy said.
Once he accepted the job, Murphy spent three months shadowing and learning the ropes, something he feels made a positive impact.
“It was extremely beneficial, and I’m grateful that he was willing to do that for me,” Murphy said.
Murphy was sworn in as chief July 9 surrounded by friends and family, a moving moment that marked his accomplishment.
“It was great. It felt great to see everybody there, that was awesome. It was very emotional,” Murphy said.
As he settles into his position, he plans to be accessible to the community and open to conversations – not only with his employees, but also residents.
“If they see me on the street and they have a concern or question, feel free to stop me and I’ll be more than happy to listen and give you the answer if I can, or get back to you,” Murphy said.
He will continue to appreciate his hometown and the people in it during his time as chief, he said.
“The department, the community have been great, the other employees of the town, they’ve all been great,” Murphy said.
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