Boston's next top firefighter is a 32-year veteran of the department. Mayor Michelle Wu on Thursday announced that Commissioner Paul Burke will take over leadership of the department on Friday, after mandatory retirement rules force Commissioner Jack Dempsey to step down on Thursday.Massachusetts law requires firefighters to retire at the end of the month in which they reach age 65.During more than three decades with the Boston Fire Department, Burke has served as Deputy Chief for fleet and facilities and as a technical rescue district chief. The Roslindale native has a bachelor's from the University of Massachusetts and a master's in Homeland Security from the Naval Post Graduate School in Monterey, CA. "It is a tremendous honor to have the opportunity to lead our Fire Department," Burke said in a statement provided by the city. "I want to thank Mayor Wu for the opportunity to serve the residents of Boston in this role. I look forward to working with all of our firefighters to deliver this critical service to our city." Burke is married with three grown children. With Burke's hiring, and Wednesday's hiring of a new superintendent for Boston Public Schools, the mayor has crossed two major hires off her administration's to-do list. The city is still looking for a new police commissioner, a job that's been vacant since Commissioner Dennis White who was suspended after just two days.