captions:

Ryan Walsh with his fire department family.

Ryan Walsh with his family. Linda Lemmon photos.



Protecting the
community —
A noble
commitment
By Linda Lemmon
Town Crier Editor
PUTNAM — It was a solemn — and joyful event. A story of commitment — and families.
The swearing in of Ryan Walsh as deputy fire marshal was so much an ode to commitment and families that two more rows of chairs had to be put out. His “DPW family” was there. His Putnam Fire Department family was there. His wife and children were there. His parents were there. His bosses were there. Town officials were there. Yes, indeed, two more rows of chairs needed.
Walsh has served 18 years in the Putnam Fire Department, 13 years in the Air National Guard and six years as a maintainer for the town.
Each speaker keyed in on his commitment to the town. Putnam Mayor Barney Seney said “when you talk about someone who serves his community, you’re talking about Ryan. Everybody around him knows he’s a hard worker.”
Seney added, “You might have three jobs but you’re not leaving Putnam!”
Fire Marshal Scott Belleville also spoke of Walsh’s commitment. Walsh, for example, recently completed a program on Codes. A commitment as the state classes ran 11 weeks, eight hours a day. And that’s just one of many programs Walsh must take.
“Fire marshal. Protecting the community. This is what we do. This is why we do it,” Belleville said. “This is a huge commitment,” he added.
Belleville half joked that fire marshals walk into a building and immediately look up – checking for sprinklers, smoke detectors and more. “This is how we’re trained.” That keeps the community safe. It’s a serious, heavy mantle — fire prevention.
After Walsh was sworn in by Town Clerk Christine Bright he thanked his colleagues and his “families” for supporting him in his commitment to his community.
Belleville said, “What you are doing is noble.”

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