Jason Bangma Takes Over as Mendon Fire Chief

By MyFM’s Marissa Santos – Jason Bangma, following in his father’s firefighting footsteps, has assumed the role of Mendon’s fire chief, succeeding William Kessler, who retired on December 23. Starting his firefighting career in Uxbridge in 2000 and later becoming a captain in Bellingham, Bangma joined Mendon as a call firefighter in 2019, rising to deputy chief earlier this year. While stepping into Kessler’s shoes in Mendon, Bangma won’t be leading the Blackstone Fire Department. He aims to establish an in-house firefighting academy to address training challenges for call firefighters. With seven full-time and 15 on-call firefighters, Bangma looks forward to building on the department’s positive trajectory.