Unable to interview the new Chief in time for this issue, The Times adapted the following article about the Chief that appeared in The Berkshire Eagle, October 6, written by Jane Kaufman, the Eagle's Community Voice Editor. Used with permission.

Henry Fristik, Sandisfield's new fire chief, has a lot of work ahead of him.

...The town's only ambulance has been in and out of the shop since before Fristik arrived. It's currently in the shop due to electrical issues a mechanic is having a hard time replicating so he can diagnose its cause.

The town also lacks a tanker after a chain of events that led to [former Chief Ralph] Morrison's resignation totaled it. It hasn t been replaced.

The loss of both [the ambulance and the tanker] forces the town to rely on mutual aid for structure fires and medical calls.

...

Fristik also hopes to rebuild the department. It currently has 17 firefighters and five EMTS on its roster, but he hopes to add at least eight more. Training takes time, though, so even if there is interest and energy among new people, it will take a while before recruits will be ready to conduct an interior attack inside a burning building.

How much will he be paid to sort out these issues? His yearly salary is $15,000, but he'll also make $25 an hour when he responds to an emergency the same pay other town firefighters receive when they're called to an incident.

Fristik said . . . he s committed to moving forward and focusing on the future.

Fristik was one of four candidates interviewed for the job and two finalists. Fristik was chosen as the top choice by firefighters in Sandisfield in a blind ballot, 14-2.

The Select Board endorsed the choice unanimously.

We just went along with the recommendation of the fire department, Select Board Chair Steve Seddon told The Eagle, but he also added his own vote of confidence for Fristik, calling him level-headed. He seems like a real solid guy, he's experienced [and] has a great understanding of how fire departments should function.

Seddon said Fristik will be able to move the department in a new direction now that he . . . has access to computer files and a desk.

Robert Fedell, a Select Board member, Sandisfield firefighter and the Select Board's liaison to the Fire Department, was one of the people who interviewed Fristik.

On paper, Fedell said he didn't expect to be impressed by Fristik, but he was.

"After the interview, he was my choice," he said.

...

Fristik has been fighting fires since he was 16 with the Chester Fire Department, where he rose up through the ranks and became chief. He served there for a total of 34 years. He's also been a part-time police officer in both Blandford and Chester.

He was attracted to the Sandisfield position because he knew there was a need for a new chief and because he was attracted to take on a new challenge.

I'm bringing a new set of skills over my 34 years, and hopefully I can pass that on to the firefighters here and we can rebuild the department.

Born in Westfield, Fristik was raised in Chester and graduated from Gateway Regional High School in Huntington. His first job was picking blueberries; his second was at High Meadow Farm doing general labor.

After high school he went to work, first in retail as a gas attendant on the Massachusetts Turnpike, eventually working in aircraft manufacturing doing production management.

He met his wife to be when she joined the Chester Fire Department.

When he s not at work, competing or fishing Lake Champlain or the lakes of New York on his Ranger bass boat, Fristik is the primary parent for his two preschool-age children.