Dennis Ring took his oath of office as a lieutenant in the Lynn Fire Department during a ceremony Jan. 12 in Lynn Mayor Judith Flanagan Kennedy’s Office at City Hall.
Assistant City Clerk Janet Rowe administered the oath to the 34-year-old Ring, who was joined by members of the LFD, along with proud family and friends.
“Dennis certainly deserves to be standing here today and I’m sure he’ll do a great job – I know he will,” said Lynn Fire Chief James McDonald.
Ring thanked his fellow firefighters for attending the ceremony. “My whole crew – they’re happy I’m growing,” said Ring, drawing smiles from the gathering. “Thank you very much. I’ve had a lot of people help me along the way – Lt. Rich Downing, Captain Sullivan. I’ve been watching for years how you work, how you operate and I’m learned from you. I appreciate it and I’m just going to keep pushing forward.”
Mayor Kennedy also congratulated Ring on his promotion.
“I don’t have to give my usual speech about the vetting process because we all know even to become a firefighter in the city of Lynn, to get your foot in the door – the vetting process is incredible,” said Kennedy. “So when we’re promoting people, we know that we are getting the best of the best of that group of people. I know Dennis personally and I know him to be a good firefighter and we’re proud to be able to call him, Lieutenant Dennis Ring, here in the city of Lynn.”
Ring talked about the path to becoming a fire lieutenant in an interview following the ceremony.
“It’s been a long time coming – it’s a long road, the studying, the training. I’ve learned from a lot of great guys and I’ve gotten a lot of help along the way.”
Ring grew up in the city and attended the Shoemaker and Pickering Schools before graduating from Lynn Tech with a specialty in Carpentry. He said he always wanted to be a firefighter. He began his service in the Lynn Fire Department in 2005 and is currently enrolled at North Shore Community College where he is pursuing a degree in Fire Science.
“I’ve done a lot of work around my house and the carpentry has certainly paid off but I knew for a long time that I always wanted to be a firefighter,” said Ring. “My career in firefighting has been everything I’ve wanted and more. I’ve learned from a lot guys, had some good fires, and this job is a true brotherhood. We embrace it and we help each other out at work and outside of work. We’re there for each other.”
Ring also praised the LFD leadership team.
“Chief MacDonald is a great guy and he has been an awesome mentor, probably one of the best firefighters I know and I would go in to a building with him any day of the week.”