Fire Marshal Davine to Retire in January 2027
State Fire Marshal Jon Davine plans to step down on January 22, 2027, and the Fire Service Commission will set the process for choosing a successor.
Updated on Nov. 6, 2026 in People
Massachusetts State Fire Marshal Jon Davine announced plans to retire in January 2027, with his official retirement date set for January 22, 2027. The Massachusetts Fire Service Commission will establish the process and timeline for selecting the next state fire marshal.
Why it matters
The state fire marshal leads an agency with nearly 1,000 full-time and contract employees across three regional campuses and four operational divisions. The transition will determine who oversees fire safety, investigations, and emergency preparedness statewide.
Davine, sworn in on August 16, 2023 as the Commonwealth's 19th state fire marshal, is set to retire on January 22, 2027, roughly 77 days from the announcement. The agency he leads oversees nearly 1,000 full-time and contract employees, but the source does not say who will replace him or how the selection will be run.
The players
Jon Davine
Davine is a U.S. Marine Corps veteran with a 25-year career as a firefighter, Hazmat technician, and member of the Joint Hazard Incident Response Team, and he has served nearly 30 years in public service.
Massachusetts Fire Service Commission
The eight-member commission, appointed by the governor and including representatives from the fire service, insurance industry, and the Executive Office of Public Safety & Security, will set the process for selecting the next state fire marshal.
The details
Davine served as chief of the Northampton Fire Department before becoming state fire marshal and is the first state fire marshal to graduate from the Massachusetts Firefighting Academy. His tenure included deploying investigators and code compliance officers to the 2025 Gabriel House fire response in Fall River and coordinating CBRNE preparation for the 2026 World Cup games in Foxborough.
Timeline
August 16, 2023: Davine sworn in as the 19th state fire marshal.
2025: State fire personnel deployed to the Gabriel House fire response in Fall River.
2026: CBRNE preparation coordinated for World Cup games in Foxborough.
In the coming days: Massachusetts Fire Service Commission meets to set the successor selection timeline.
January 22, 2027: Davine's official retirement date.
Leadership Lineage
Massachusetts appointed the nation's first state fire marshal in 1894, and Davine is now the 19th person to hold the post. His planned retirement in January 2027 continues that lineage with a succession process run by the Fire Service Commission.
Residents and local fire departments rely on the state fire marshal's office for investigations, code compliance, and hazardous materials response. The leadership change will shape how those services are directed once Davine leaves in January 2027.
The takeaway
Leadership transitions at state agencies like the fire marshal's office can affect continuity in investigations, inspections, and emergency preparedness. Readers can track the Commission's selection timeline as it is set in the coming weeks.
What happens next
The Massachusetts Fire Service Commission will meet in the coming days to establish the process and timeline for selecting the next state fire marshal, ahead of Davine's January 22, 2027 retirement.
Further reading
For more on Massachusetts leadership changes, see People coverage.
