On March 26, the Town of Mansfield announced that Somers fire chief John Roache will be hired as the town’s next chief firefighter. He will be replacing interim fire chief David Dagon, who has held the chief post since December of last year. The position is not unfamiliar to Roache, who has served as chief for eight years in Somers, working in the role since 2016. Roache will fully integrate into the Mansfield Fire Chief role on May 6 of this year.
Roache originally graduated from the University of Connecticut with a bachelor’s degree in economics and sociology. As an alumnus, he says the appointment to the Mansfield role has served as an exciting experience, citing the town’s community spirit and positive energy.
“I am really excited about coming back to this community,” Roache said. “Mansfield has a lot of positive energy, there is a lot of community spirit, and there is always some sort of activity going on. It has been great seeing both all the changes and what has remained the same… and I am looking forward to visiting the Dairy Bar.”
Roache described what initially led him to pursue a life in public service, citing an immense desire to help others. According to a press release given by the Town of Mansfield, prior to his paid service in Andover and Somers, Roache was quite active in pursuing unpaid volunteer work with fire and emergency services.
“As for what got me started down this path? I think it was initially my inability to do anything when something happened. It was a sense of feeling powerless, even if it was just driving by a car accident or seeing someone hurt. As a teenager, I did a lot of camping and outdoor activities with friends, and as a group, we were always getting cuts, sprains, abrasions, etc. So I started by taking basic first aid classes. Soon, I was the go-to person when anyone needed patching up. I wanted to be able to do more, so I decided to take an EMT class,” Roache said. “That led to my joining the local volunteer fire department, and as they say, I got hooked. From then on, I kept taking more classes and expanding my skills. We have a saying in the fire service that ‘We didn’t create this problem, but we can help fix it.’ I guess that just really resonates for me.”
Mansfield has a lot of positive energy, there is a lot of community spirit, and there is always some sort of activity going on.
John Roache, Appointed Mansfield Fire Chief
Ryan Aylesworth, the Mansfield Town Manager, spoke highly of Roache and his ability to navigate the Town of Mansfield through a period of great transition and change.
“I believe that as the next leader of Mansfield Fire and Emergency Services, Chief Roache will be very successful in helping us navigate the unique opportunities and challenges our community faces. We are progressing into a period of time of increasing medical call volumes, and the construction and redevelopment of high-density housing and associated commercial developments will create new service demands,” Aylesworth said. “Based on the depth of his professional experiences in Somers, and the thought-provoking conversations we were able to have with John throughout a very competitive selection process, I believe he will be a strong and capable collaborator when it comes to developing a shared vision for Fire and Emergency Services.”
Roache concluded by identifying his philosophy towards community engagement and staying in tune with the town’s needs, specifically referencing a necessary transparency by and for the community.
“I strongly believe that the fire department should be part of the community. This is not just about ensuring everyone has a safe and enjoyable time at events; there needs to be that personal interaction. Public safety is not just the people who hide out at the fire station until needed. People need to be able to see us out and about and feel comfortable walking up and asking us questions,” Roache said.