On his last day as Shrewsbury’s fire chief, James Vuona sat down in the passenger seat of a 98-year-old fire engine as he rode home as part of a send-off from firefighters, fire chiefs, friends and family.
Vuona, 62, spent Wednesday afternoon at the fire station with his colleagues and family for an open house commemorating his 14 and a half years serving as fire chief and his 32-year career with the Shrewsbury Fire Department.
Vuona partook in a tradition for retiring firefighters — being driven from the station to his house. The vehicle he traveled in is a brick-red, open-roof pumper engine that dates back to 1926. Vuona told MassLive the pumper had no seatbelts, no working blinkers and was very noisy when active.
Nevertheless, the chief said the drive home was fun.
“The mechanic drove around the station on my last day and drove me to my house,” Vuona said. “I just looked at him and he had a smile on his face and I just chuckled and said this is pretty fun.”
The fire department used the pumper engine as one of its vehicles during the 1920s, according to Vuona. Following its time at the department, Vuona said the pumper engine was owned by multiple people, including a military veteran post in Needham. Eventually, the engine returned to the Shrewsbury Fire Department after it was owned by a resident of the town.
The vehicle is scheduled to be refurbished and will feature in upcoming town-wide events such as parades, Vuona explained.
“It’s going to be for community events,” Vuona said. “They really want to have it for the 300th anniversary in Shrewsbury in 2027 and want to have it on display.”
Even though he is retired from firefighting, Vuona said he is still involved in efforts to educate about fire safety.
Vuona told MassLive he will continue teaching classes on community risk reduction at Anna Maria College. Community risk reduction is identifying local risks and hazards and finding ways to mitigate them, according to the National Fire Protection Association.
“I felt I was able to accomplish a lot of everything I had set out to do,” Vuona said about his 32 years of service. “I feel like it was the right time.”
Seth Colby, a department member since 1997 and the department’s deputy chief since 2019, is now the department’s current chief. Vuona said he has full confidence in Colby after working with him for 25 years.
“He’s been one of the best leaders in the department,” Vuona said of Colby. “I couldn’t get a lot of things done without his help.”
For his part, Colby said Vuona had a lot of knowledge and was a good mentor. He added that Vuona had done a lot to move the department forward, including adding 10 positions to the department — eight lieutenants, an operations manager and a deputy chief — the position in which Colby served for the past five years.
“I’ve worked with him my entire career,” Colby said.
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