Retired West Barnstable Fire Chief John Jenkins passes away

WEST BARNSTABLE – The West Barnstable Fire Department regrets to announce the passing of Fire Chief John P. Jenkins – Retired. John served as West Barnstable’s Fire Chief for 32 years from 1973 to 2005. He was first elected fire chief at the age of 27. John loved West Barnstable and the West Barnstable Fire Department. John was born to be a firefighter and fire chief, having ridden his bicycle to fires as a teenager, joining the WBFD in 1962. His chicken coop on Parker Road served as the WBFD’s Fire Station No. 2 for about two decades, until he oversaw the building of our current fire station in 1988. In the 1970s and 1980s, Chief Jenkins was well known for his calling of the BINGO numbers at the weekly WB Firefighter’s Bingo Fundraiser at the BWB Elementary School. Additionally, he served as the Town of Barnstable Forest Fire Warden, was a salesman for Pierce Fire Apparatus, and was famous for his Hot Dog Truck, “John’s Dogs”, – he made great clam chowder and hot dogs. The passing of John is a great loss to the entire West Barnstable Community.