By DONNA KENNY KIRWAN

PAWTUCKET — A swearing-in ceremony for firefighters is usually a family-affair, but the one held this Wednesday afternoon was even more so. Among the five new recruits is Robert F. Thurber III, who represents the third generation of a Pawtucket firefighting family and the fourth generation to work in public safety.

In blazing heat at the Veterans Memorial Amphitheatre, Thurber and four other candidates, Christopher J. Cabral, Jarret J. Curry, Joseph J. Nadro and Timothy Pacheco IV, were inducted into the Pawtucket Fire Department by Pawtucket Mayor James E. Doyle.
In addition, Rescue Lt. Earl Daley Jr. was promoted to the rank of Rescue Captain.
Fire Chief Timothy McLaughlin said the one promotion and the five new hires are a result of vancancies due to retirements, and are positions that are accounted for in the current year’s budget.
McLaughlin presided over the ceremony, pledging to keep his remarks brief due to the sweltering conditions. Fr. Cornelius Lynch, formerly of St. Maria Goretti Church, delivered the invocation and blessing to the firefighters and their families.
In his remarks about the promotion, Doyle noted that Earl Daley Jr., 47, is a graduate of Shea High School and holds a bachelor of science degree in accounting from Roger Williams University.
Among those to be sworn in as the newest members of the city’s fire department were Christopher J. Cabral, 34, a graduate of BMC-Durfee High School and Salve Regina University; and Jarret J. Curry, 26, a a 2000 Tolman graduate who is a licensed EMT.
Additionally being welcomed by Doyle were Joseph J. Nadro, 25, a 2001 graduate of Lincoln High School who will be graduating next spring from Roger Williams University with a bachelor’s degree in public administration and from CCRI with an associate’s degree in fire science.
Also sworn in was Timothy Pacheco IV, 21, a 2005 graduate of Dighton-Rehoboth Regional High School and of Franklin Pierce College, where he earned a bachelor’s degree and served on the college’s volunteer fire department.
Lastly, Doyle singled out Robert F. Thurber III, 26, who is a 2000 graduate of St. Raphael Academy. The mayor noted that Thurber served four years in the U.S. Navy, on board the U.S. Constellation, and spent two years on the Tiverton Fire Department, where he earned a medal of valor. He also noted the Thurber family’s long ties to both of the city’s public safety departments.
Thurber’s grandfather, Robert Thurber, Sr., was an assistant fire chief in Pawtucket and his father, Robert F. Thurber Jr., is currently a fire lieutenant. His uncle, Michael Thurber, also serves as a fire lieutenant, and his paternal grandfather, Clifford Thurber, was a police chief in the city.
Lt. Robert Thurber pinned the badge on his son, and later said he was proud and happy to see him join the department.
The younger Thurber said that being a firefighter was “something that I’ve wanted to do since I was old enough to walk.” He added that joining the Pawtucket Fire Department was always part of his plans because, “That’s where the family tradition is.”