Shrewsbury Fire Chief Vuona retires after 32 years

SHREWSBURY – After 32 years with the Shrewsbury Fire Department, Fire Chief Jim Vuona is set to retire.

A lifelong Shrewsbury resident and 1980 graduate of Shrewsbury High School, Vuona, 62, has spent his entire career with the department, including nine years as a firefighter, eight as captain and the last 15 years as chief. When he leaves, he will have hired 30 members out of a department of 47 people.

“I love that you have the opportunity to make a difference in the community and help people every day. As I moved up the ranks, I wanted to have a bigger impact on the department and on the community as well,” Vuona told the Community Advocate in his office at the Shrewsbury Fire Department.

Vuona's long career began in an unexpected way: a game of softball with friends.

“I started playing on a team with some of my friends, and some of the guys on the team were on the fire department, so I started playing softball with them. They encouraged me to take the test – I had an uncle and a cousin who were working at the time – so I took the test and got interested in the job,” he said.

Very quickly, he became a firefighter on duty.

During his management of the six-engine, three-station department, Vuona added 10 positions, which he says have been monumental in keeping Shrewsbury – and its firefighters – safe as call volumes have steadily increased . In addition to increasing the staffing level, Vuona added a full-time mechanic position and an assistant chief position, primarily focused on fire prevention. The department also made technological advancements under Vuona, upgrading equipment.

“I think the level of sophistication we have today, compared to when I started, is like night and day,” he said.

Vuona plans to continue teaching in the fire science program at Anna Maria College after retirement. He will also do consulting work.

“I really like the opportunity to work with young people who want to become firefighters. It’s also a way of giving back in some way. I’ve accumulated all this information and experience over the years, and now this is what I do with it,” he said.

But he will stay at Shrewsbury, at least for now.

“I like to say, ‘Everything has a shelf life’…I still feel like I have a few years left and I’d like to try something else,” he said.