Keith Darling didn’t grow up wanting to be a firefighter.
Rather, the Franklin Fire Battalion chief — who was last week named Northborough’s new fire chief — said he developed a love for firefighting after a stint in the Army and, later, more than a decade working for a private ambulance company.
“I was getting out of the Army in 1993, and I had developed an interest in emergency medical service,” said Darling, 54, of North Attleborough. “I worked for private EMS for 11 years. I was working along firefighters and became really interested in that job.”
Darling joined the Army in 1990 and served three years, in Texas, Georgia and South Korea. He later enlisted in the National Guard shortly after 9/11.
Also in 2001, he made the move from working for a private ambulance company to joining the Franklin Fire Department. A trained EMT and paramedic, he worked on the ambulance and worked at fire scenes, as well as becoming a public educator for the department and rising through the ranks to battalion chief.
Franklin battalion fire chief is picked to become Northborough chief
As battalion chief, Darling said he worked as the shift supervisor. He would be the incident commander at emergency scenes, such as house fires. He was also the fire prevention officer and performed residential inspections.
Darling said he enjoyed his time in Franklin, but “when Northborough came along, the rest is history.”
New chief says Northborough is similar to Franklin
The Northborough Select Board on Sept. 14, appointed Darling as fire chief. They had previously appointed the town's deputy fire chief, Neal Aspesi, to become chief, but Aspesi later withdrew his candidacy.
Darling said he was attracted to the Northborough job because of the town’s similarities to Franklin.
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“Northborough is almost half the size of Franklin in every way, from population, staffing and budget,” Darling said. “It’s kind of what attracted me to the community — it’s demographics and makeup are very similar to Franklin. I think it’s a great fit.”
Darling said his first goals will be to get to know the firefighters, as well as meeting various department heads throughout the community. He also wants to get out in public and meet residents.
New fire station coming for Northborough
More long term, he said he looks forward to working with the town to complete the new fire station construction.
“It’s great for the community because it’s the hub of downtown and it’s a great testament to the support the department gets from the community,” Darling said.
More long term, Darling says he wants to continue to deliver the service the town has come to expect. He said he also wants to make sure everyone who works for the department has a positive work experience. He hopes to study and apply for more grants to help defray town costs.
“I want to make sure the growth and expansion of the Fire Department continues and keeps pace with the community’s needs and the quality of service is maintained and ultimately improves,” he said. “I’m looking forward to it.”
Norman Miller can be reached at 508-626-3823 or [email protected]. For up-to-date public safety news, follow him on X @Norman_MillerMW or on Facebook at facebook.com/NormanMillerJournalist.