Mayor Fuller Appoints Gregory Gentile As Newton’s Next Fire Chief

NEWTON, MA — Mayor Ruthanne Fuller has appointed Gregory J. Gentile as Newton’s next fire chief, according to Thursday’s community update.

Gentile, who has replaced Chief Gino Lucchetti as of May 9, has been serving as Assistant Chief/Chief of Operations for Newton Fire Department. He is a lifelong Newton resident and a third generation Newton firefighter, following in the footsteps of his father, Donald “Donnie” Gentile, and grandfather, Nicholas “Nick” Gentile.

Greg Gentile is an effective and adaptive leader who is committed to building on the traditions of excellence in the department and to a positive, inclusive and respectful culture,” Fuller said in a statement. "He brings deep experience to the role not just in fire suppression, fire prevention, code enforcement and training, but also with emergency medical response and emergency preparation and operations.”

"He is filled with a love of Newton and the profession and also has a deep commitment to the health and well-being of the members of this critically important department,” she continued. "His emotional and intellectual intelligence, curiosity and integrity, work ethic and interpersonal skills will serve him and all of us well.”

Fuller said she made the decision to promote Gentile after seeing his effectiveness and leadership during the pandemic. In addition, she said the city's multistage selection process reinforced her belief in his leadership abilities, competence, trustworthiness, and warmth.

“I want to thank Mayor Fuller for trusting me to lead this department,” Gentile said in a statement. "I will be leading one of the best fire departments in the country and am committed to building on the strong foundation left by my friend and predecessor Chief Gino Lucchetti."

Greg Gentile was hired as a firefighter in April 2004 and was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant in 2010. As Lieutenant, he served in both the Fire Prevention Division and as a company officer in the Suppression force. He was promoted to Captain in 2015, serving in the Training and Safety Division for four years. In 2019, he was promoted to Deputy Chief, serving as a shift commander, responsible for one of the four groups in the suppression force. He started serving as Assistant Chief/Chief of Operations in April 2020.

Chief Gentile holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Information Systems from the University of Massachusetts and a Bachelor of Science Degree in Fire Science Administration from Waldorf College. He is also a certified emergency medical technician.