Friends, family, and town officials joined Kevin Farrell as he was officially named Danvers Fire Department Chief at his swearing-in ceremony on Thursday June 16 at Town Hall. 

Farrell first became a firefighter in 1988, and has been acting as Chief since April of 2010. 

Town Manager Wayne Marquis presented Farrell at the ceremony, saying, "I remember the first time I interviewed him, and that is what he told me his goal was: to become fire chief, and to show that hard work really does pay off."  

Joining Farrell in the celebration were several fire chiefs from surrounding communities, as well as 1st Deputy Fire Chief, Dick Wessell, whom Farrell gave extreme thanks to during the ceremony. 

Farrell said this has been his goal since he was about eight years old, when he used to watch "Emergency!" on TV after school. In 1996 he was promoted to Fire Lieutenant, and in 2005 Deputy Chief, under former Chief James Tutko. In 2009 Farrell received his Bachelors degree in Fire Services from Anna Maria College. 

Farrell's family members, as well as his two sons were in attendance at the ceremony. "He was right there all these years studying along with us on the couch in the living room," his son Keith Farrell said. "While we were getting ready for college, he was getting ready to be Fire Chief." 

Looking to the future, Farrell said, "We have the best department on the North Shore, I want to make it better, that's my goal."