Wareham Fire Chief John Kelley returns to work

Wareham Fire Chief John Kelley returned to work for the first time in eight months after sustaining a work-related injury.

“It’s nice to be back, it’s obviously a job that I love to do,” Kelley said. “I missed it when I was out but now I’m back and looking forward to the future of the department.”

 Kelley returned to work Monday, Aug. 11, ending a months-long leave that started on Jan. 9 when he was injured during a mutual aid response in another town.

Prior to his injury, Kelley had been at the center of several controversies including harassment complaints, union grievances and contention regarding a promotional exam.

In June 2024, two complaints filed by district employees alleged that Kelley had created a hostile work environment. The Prudential Committee, the board which oversees the district, hired an investigator to look into the complaints — but found no wrongdoing. 

According to the results of the investigation, Kelley did not “violate the Wareham Fire Department’s harassment policy or create a hostile work environment.”

In February of this year, a third district employee submitted a complaint against Kelley but the results of that complaint remain unclear.

In Oct. 2024, tensions between Kelley and the department built when he failed to remove himself from a promotional exam his son, Matthew Kelley, and other applicants were scheduled to take.

According to Prudential Committee Chair George Barrett, Kelley requested to keep a flash drive containing the test questions in his office, sparking conflict-of-interest concerns.

In his first month back, Kelley said he has been getting caught up on the latest happenings in the department such as projects around the station and getting to know new firefighters.

“We’ve had some different projects completed that were started before I left,” he said. “We’re in the process of [hiring new firefighters] and some of that got completed while I was out.”

In his absence, Assistant Fire Chief Patrick Haskell took over as acting chief.

“My eight months as acting chief were very rewarding,” Haskell said. “The members of the department were very helpful in making everything run smoothly and assisting me in that role.”

Kelley joined the Wareham Fire Department as a recruit in 1995 and has spent his entire firefighting career with the department, succeeding former Chief Matt Rowley in 2022.