Norwood Fire Chief Seeks Equal Commendations and Rewards-July 23, 1980

Request Follows Hazardous Chemical Leak

On July 22, 1980, Norwood Fire Chief Thomas J. Barry addressed the Board of Selectmen to advocate for formal commendations and paid time off for twelve firefighters who responded to a dangerous chemical leak, arguing that their hazardous duty deserved recognition equal to that recently granted to local police officers. The friction arose after the selectmen presented official commendations and four days of paid leave to patrolmen Michael Broyer and William J. Murphy for their heroics on June 21, 1980, when they successfully wrestled a loaded shotgun away from Anthony Barboza of Taunton during a tense hostage situation at the Norwest Woods apartment complex, where Barboza had held a former girlfriend and a man at gunpoint. Sitting in the audience, Thomas J. Barry voiced his frustration, stating that while the police officers’ actions were undeniably brave, his firefighters faced an equivalent level of mortal peril while managing a volatile hydrogen peroxide leak from a railroad car at the E. B. King Co. on June 26, 1980.

“Not to say the police did nothing less than heroic, but I feel a little hurt for my department,” Thomas J. Barry told the board. “We put our lives on the line, too. Maybe not with a loaded gun, but sometimes it is just as dangerous.” His remarks sparked a contentious and occasionally heated exchange with Selectman John F. Kinnaly, who sharply rejected the comparison between the two incidents. “According to your statements in the newspapers, the situation did not seem hazardous at all. A pointed gun seems more hazardous to me,” John F. Kinnaly countered. Thomas J. Barry explained that he had deliberately downplayed the severity of the chemical spill in press reports to prevent mass panic among residents living in the surrounding South Norwood neighborhood. “We did not seek publicity, but the risk to the men involved was no less. A tank of hydrogen peroxide has greater range than a pistol,” he emphasized, recalling that at the height of the crisis he feared a catastrophe comparable to a notorious rail disaster in Somerville, describing the initial ten minutes as spectacular before his crews stabilized the scene within half an hour without injury or property damage.

The debate further exposed divisions among town leaders regarding municipal reward policies. Selectman Chairman William J. Plasko revealed that he had opposed granting the paid days off to the police officers, expressing concern that the decision would open a administrative “Pandora’s Box.” When pressed by officials as to why he had not initially submitted his own men for formal recognition, Thomas J. Barry admitted, “Because I thought they were just doing their job.” The meeting also saw police tactics scrutinized when Selectman Walter J. Dempsey questioned Police Chief James F. Curran regarding the protocol used during the Norwood Woods arrest, criticizing the responding officers for entering the building without waiting for backup given the known presence of a firearm. While James F. Curran acknowledged that standard department procedure dictates calling for reinforcements, he defended the actions of his personnel, noting that they had undergone specialized training for handling hostage scenarios.

Archival Note: This article has been dynamically reconstructed from the original public record print archives of the Patriot Ledger