(Shutesbury, MA) Shutesbury Deputy Fire Chief Mark Foster passed away Thursday, June 22nd at Baystate Franklin Medical Center. Foster had been diagnosed with stage 4 cancer in March of this year. He spent his life serving the community through fire service.
He served in the United States Air Force where he was a crash and fire rescue man and became Station Chief, then after his service returned to his hometown of Averill Park, New York before moving to Massachusetts and serving in several state and local capacities including the Northwestern Mass Incident Management Team as Safety Officer and Division Supervisor, Northwestern Mass Crisis Intervention team and American Red Cross.
Foster was presented the Mass State Police Public Award for saving the life of Massachusetts state trooper Mark Whitcombe on October 9, 2018. Services will be held this week in Foster’s hometown of Averill Park, New York. Donations may be made to the Shutesbury Fire Department for new uniforms.
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(05/31/23) Community members are coming together to support Shutesbury Deputy Chief firefighter Mark Foster after his recent diagnosis with stage 4 cancer. According to the Shutesbury Fire Department, Foster is one of the top responders at the department and has “given more than anyone.” He has been with the department since 2015, but began his firefighting career when he was just sixteen years old in New York. A GoFundMe has been started to support Foster and his wife, Whitney, during his treatments.