David Petruccelli ’90

Major at MMA: Yacht Ops & Boatyard Management
Employer: City of Portland Fire Department

Where has your career taken you since graduation?

Shortly after graduation I was a volunteer in water rescue which led to my career in the fire service. I was hired by the Portland Fire Department in May 1995, as a firefighter I had the opportunity to cover shifts on the City’s fire boat for many years when one of the assigned crew was on vacation.
Also in that time I worked off and on as a: launch operator, a yacht club manager, a marina dockmaster, and now a boatyard/shipyard safety coordinator.

In 2012 I promoted to Lieutenant and spent two years at Riverton Station with Engine Co. 9. In 2014 I was promoted to Captain and assigned to the department’s Fire Prevention Bureau, over the next three years we created a strong working relationship with the City’s Building Inspectors, and landlords, business owners, and developers. We also redesigned the department’s inspection program for our fire companies to be more efficient and effective with their efforts.

From there I spent time as the company captain at Ladder Co. 4 in North Deering, and then Ladder Co. 6 at Bramhall, before a promotion in December 2020 and assignment to the fire department’s Air Rescue Division.

I am the current Chair for the Portland Firefighters Children’s Burn Foundation, Board of Directors. Established in 2001 to try and provide support to burn survivors and their families from Maine.

I am the past director of Fire & Ice Burn Survivors Winter Camp, a peer retreat for young burn survivors from around the Atlantic Region. We created this camp in 2006 to compliment the regional summer burn survivors camp hosted by the Connecticut Burns Care Foundation.

I also serve as the director for the International Association of Fire Fighters-Young Burn Survivor Summit. This event hosts an attendee and their chaperone from the more than 50 burn survivor camps throughout Canada and the U.S. for an educational, week-long trip to Washington, D.C. and the surrounding areas that combines examples of leadership and history, with resilience and behavioral health skills.

What is your current title and what are your responsibilities?

Deputy Fire Chief | Portland Fire Dept. – Air Rescue Division
I am responsible for the operation and budget planning of the Portland International Jetport Fire Department, functioning as liaison to the Fire Chief and Airport Director.

I am involved in our transition planning to implement fluorine free firefighting foam, replace one of the airport’s ARFF vehicles, and the process to renovate and update the apparatus bays and firehouse for the Air Rescue Co..

Additional responsibilities include grant management and Hazmat Team administrative oversight.

What piece of advice would you give to a student going into your field?

There are two things I learned from leaders I worked for that I think about often and pass on to others.

First, do whatever you can to put yourself in the position to say “Yes”. If you are involved and engaged, people are going to ask you to take on roles you might not see yourself in yet. When asked say “Yes”.

The second didn’t truly apply until later but stuck with me, it came from my first boss. He told me, “never ask someone else to do a job that you haven’t done or wouldn’t do yourself”.

How did the MMA experience prepare you for both your prior positions and your current career focus?

MMA helped teach me about adapting and moving toward your strengths. I started in the naval architecture program but struggled, advisors at MMA supported and helped me stay in school but move to a program more suited to me.

And as an early ‘non-traditional’ student I witnessed a similar command structure to what I would enter five years after graduation. I saw examples of leadership and support put into practice that left a lasting impression.

The other thing Maine Maritime showed me was the value of making connections and networking.

What are your goals for the future?

In the next couple of years I plan to retire from the fire service and re-enter the marine trades field. I am working part-time now as a Safety Coordinator for Portland Ship Yard & Portland Yacht Services and I am excited to move into that as a full-time role.