James Cullen Tapped to Lead Revere Fire Department
August 21, 2025
REVERE, MA – On Thursday, August 21, 2025, Mayor Patrick. M Keefe Jr. announced that Acting Fire Chief James Cullen has assumed the role of Revere Fire Department Chief, effective Wednesday, August 20, 2025. Senior Deputy Chief Cullen had previously assumed the role of Acting Chief following the retirement of former Fire Chief Christopher Bright.
“Chief Cullen’s forward-thinking approach and management skills qualify him to lead the Revere Fire Department into the future. I trust him fully to take on the changing landscape in fire protection and prevention, and to continue the modernization of our fleet, equipment, and services. Our people are safe, and our department is strong, under his leadership,” said Mayor Patrick Keefe.
Chief Cullen has been with the Revere Fire Department for nearly 27 years, including 15 years as a member of the senior command staff. He began his career in 1999 as a firefighter and rose through the ranks, achieving Lieutenant in 2002, Captain in 2006, and Deputy Chief in 2010. In 2016, Chief Cullen became the Senior Deputy Chief/Chief of Operations and in addition to his duties as a shift/incident commander, where he responded to all multiple alarm incidents as the Operations Section Chief, 24/7.
“I would like to thank Mayor Keefe for his confidence in me and his unwavering commitment and support for public safety. Some of my immediate goals will be to improve our public protection classification (ISO rating), increase training, and modernize our apparatus fleet and equipment. I am looking forward to serving the citizens of Revere in my new role as chief. The Revere Fire Department is highly regarded as one of the best in Massachusetts. I am very proud of our members and the hard work that they do each day,” said Cullen.
Senior Deputy Chief Cullen graduated from Revere High School in 1983. In preparation for joining the fire department he earned his Massachusetts Emergency Medical Technicians License in 1996. As a young firefighter, he juggled family life and career while attending North Shore Community College where, in 2003, he earned a degree in fire science. In 2011, he attended and graduated from the Chief Fire Officer Management Program (Executive Office of Public Safety and Security, Massachusetts Department of Fire Services, and University of Massachusetts Edward J. Collins Jr. Center for Public Management at University of Massachusetts, Boston).
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