By Rebecca Danvers

Somerville Fire Lt. Jay Colbert was elected by acclimation as interim President of the Professional Firefighters of Massachusetts on Sept. 1. He will serve in this role through the October 23 union’s general election for President. Colbert replaces Edward Kelly, who on Aug. 17 was elected General Secretary-Treasurer of the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF).

Colbert is a 28-year veteran of the Somerville Fire Department, currently assigned to Station 1 and is the 3rd District Vice President to the IAFF. In this role, he serves on the executive board of the IAFF and represents 23,000 firefighters in locals across New England.

Colbert joined the fire service in 1988 after graduating from the University of Massachusetts School of Business. A lifelong Somerville resident, he served as President of Somerville Local 76 for 12 years, and for 14 years was elected to the state union’s executive board, serving as Legislative Agent, District 6 Vice President and most recently, Secretary-Treasurer. He attended the Harvard University Trade Union program in 2012 and has been the chair of the state Joint Labor Management Commission for five years.