Earlier today, WAMC News broke the story that North Adams, Massachusetts fire chief Brent Lefebvre struck a pedestrian with an official city vehicle Thursday morning, sending the person to Berkshire Medical Center in Pittsfield with injuries sustained in the collision. Since WAMC’s reporting, Lefebvre has been placed on paid administrative leave as the city’s police department begins its investigation. A veteran of the North Adams Fire Department since 2009, Lefebvre was promoted to chief in 2021. WAMC spoke with Mayor Jennifer Macksey about the situation this afternoon.
MACKSEY: It’s my understanding, yesterday, which I believe was July 6th, in the early morning, Chief Lefebvre was driving on River Street, turned left on to Veazie [Street] and struck a pedestrian. The investigation is still ongoing as to the cause and the effect and everything. The individual was transported to Berkshire Medical Center on their main campus. And I do not know her medical condition at this point. But Chief Lefebvre has been placed on paid leave until the investigation is concluded. I really believe from the information that I've been told that it was a terrible accident, and there was no malice, there was no speed involved. It was just an awful thing, and we hope for the best for the victim and we wait for the outcome of the investigation.
WAMC: What will the investigation seek to clarify about the situation? And could it result in any repercussions for the chief?
Well, right now, we just want to make sure that it truly was an accident, which I believe it was. Repercussions, I really honestly think it was an accident, and we'll see whether the police department cites him or not, and then we'll go from there. But everything is kind of up in the air right now. Our only focus is that the victim gets better.
Who is in charge of the fire department with the chief on paid leave?
Deputy Chief Robert Patenaude.
Can you speak to the injuries sustained by the person struck by the chief? We've heard different reports, I want to make sure that we have the city's official account on the record.
Yeah, I don't know to the extent of the injuries other than the person was hospitalized. So, I really can't speak to the magnitude of that.
From your vantage point, what does this incident say about public safety infrastructure regarding pedestrian safety in North Adams?
Well, Josh, you know, it's an accident. It was an accident. From what I know right now, it seems like it was an accident and that's all I really can say without knowing the full detail. I think overall, our pedestrians in North Adams are safe, and if people use the crosswalk, they're fine. But I mean, overall, I really just think this was a bad accident.
With the chief on leave, can you say with confidence at this time that the city's fire department is going to be able to respond to any emergencies in the interim?
Oh, absolutely. Definitely. I have full confidence in Deputy Chief Patenaude and the fire department team there and the lieutenants and the other staff. They do a fantastic job, and they all know what their job is. You know, right now, I am not worried about that at all. But everyone is business as usual and they will do their job as they do every single day.
How long do you expect the investigation into the incident to last?
When I asked that this morning, I was told hopefully early next week. I think the open item is that they want to speak to the victim, and they're just giving her some time to recuperate.
Any final statement to the broader North Adams community about the incident today?
Yes, to the broader community- This was just an unfortunate incident. It was not done with any malice. Chief Lefebvre feels terrible about the situation, and we just hope that the victim is doing okay and will get better soon.
When we first spoke about this, Chief Lefebvre was remaining on duty during all of this, and then later, it seemed like there was a decision made to move him to paid leave. What informed that decision?
Yeah. So, at the time, Josh, I'll be honest with you, I've been on vacation. So, when you first reached out to me, I hadn't spoken to the team. And then after speaking to the team, in all fairness, the city has an obligation to do an investigation. And I just felt that it's better to have him sit out. So, we can do that. And for him to just take some time and get through this himself. This isn't an easy thing for him. But when things like this happen, our first and foremost thing is that we can do an investigation openly. And I feel strongly that when things like this go on, the people who are directly involved just need to take some time off until we can sort things out.
