Published: 12/28/2007 Fire lieutenant hanging up his helmet after 37 years By Ethan Forman Staff writer
DANVERS - No single fire or accident, not even going house to house after the Danversport chemical plant explosion last November, sums up fire Lt. Alan Weeks' career for him. "Don't get me wrong, I can think of a lot of fires," said Weeks, who retires early next month after more than 36 years with the department. "The explosion, the fire up on the hill (that destroyed four unfinished apartment buildings in April), it was exciting," said Weeks, whose last job in the department is overseeing Engine 2 in a fire station at the base of Hathorne Hill just off Route 1. "But to me, the reward of helping someone has been a good feeling all the time I've been here." Weeks, a lifelong resident of Danvers, enjoyed a career in which he did not have to commute more than two miles from his house, which, by the way, has been in his family for 275 years, he said. "We go back to witchcraft, my relative was Rebecca Nurse," said Weeks, referring to the key figure who was hanged during the Salem witch trials in 1692. While his father's family came from Norway, his mother's maiden name is Hutchinson, a name that goes way back in town. Weeks lives in the house he grew up in, and his mother, Ruth Weeks, 89, still lives in the house she grew up in two doors up the street, he said. Weeks bought his home from his parents when he and his wife, Gail, were married. "I enjoy town. I love the town," Weeks said about why he has stayed put. "It's a very well-run town. It's a nice place just to live." His family has also given back to the town. His father, the late Arnold Weeks, served as the deputy police chief and was on the force for 42 years. His brother, Arnold N. Weeks Jr., is a retired firefighter mechanic. His son, Nils, 32, works as a Danvers firefighter, while son Chris, 30, is a salesman for Polar Beverages. While he has stayed close to home most of his life, Weeks learned firefighting out at sea. He joined the Navy after graduating from Danvers High and served four years working damage control on a Navy destroyer that traveled all over the world. The Navy let him out three months early to take the firefighter's exam, and he was one of nine people to start in April 1970. Of those nine, only Chief James Tutko is still on the job. While being a firefighter has been exciting, and Weeks considers his fellow firefighters like family, what struck him most was his sense of helping others.
"When you are going to somebody's house or a business, 99 percent of the time they are glad to see you," Weeks said. This month, Weeks stopped working for Lyons Ambulance after 13 years. After retiring from town, Weeks plans to visit Florida and then stay close to home, working for the Peterson-O'Donnell Funeral Home on Maple Street.
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