Call for state action

The Fire Chiefs' Association of Massachusetts, including Leominster Fire Chief Ronald Pierce, issued a call to action to the state Legislature and Gov. Deval Patrick to pass a bill that would create a system to regulate chemical processing in Massachusetts. Over 30 fire chiefs from across the state attended the event in Danvers. There is no systematic oversight of companies that mix chemicals in Massachusetts, and the bill would address that. The Fire Chiefs believe strong regulations on chemical processing could have helped prevent an explosion in Danvers in November 2006, and a similar explosion in Leominster the year before.