Jill Harmacinski
The Eagle-Tribune, North Andover, Mass.
(MCT)
May 19—LAWRENCE — Shortly after firefighters described the new job as “unnecessary, unethical and merely political payback,” a proposal for an assistant fire chief’s position was tabled by the City Council this week.
More than two dozen firefighters from Local 146, dressed in red T-shirts, filled up an entire side of the audience gallery in the council chambers at City Hall Tuesday night.
The unionized firefighters are protesting the creation of an assistant fire chief’s position by Mayor Brian DePena and Fire Chief Brian Moriarty.
Rebuilding the Lawrence (MA) Fire Department
“Union Local 146, Lawrence Firefighters, has voted unanimously to oppose this position the way it’s being brought forward,” said Capt. Eric Zahn, union president, reading from a letter sent to councilors prior to Tuesday night’s meeting.
Simply put, the assistant fire chief’s job is a “political favor,” Zahn said.
“The Mayor has indicated that the position is being catered for one of our members (one mind you that recently resigned from this union). This is not the way we do business nor should it be the way city should do business,” according to the firefighters’ union’s letter.
“As a city councilor you have a responsibility to vote for positions that hire the most qualified individuals as department heads. That’s not the case here,” according to the letter.
Fire Capt. Michael Blanchard, a 30-year veteran, also spoke at the start of the City Council meeting, stressing that the department’s current para-miitary, rank-and-file system “has worked flawlessly for years and years.”
The new assistant fire chief, as proposed, would be hired outside the department’s current promotional practices.
“This is as dirty, unethical and corrupt as it could possibly get,” Blanchard said.
District E Councilor Stefany Infante, after hearing from Zahn and Blanchard, asked for discussion about the new assistant fire chief’s job to be tabled until another time. Fellow councilors agreed.
Reached Wednesday for comment, Infante said she thought the matter should be tabled “because there are still too many questions.”
She said it was clear to her “additional conversations are needed … . I just hope that happens.”
Zahn said the union is willing to talk to the city “about a better outcome for both our needs and the needs of the city.” However, he noted, negotiations about the position have stalled and “we have been told ‘this is going to happen no matter what you guys do.'”
The safety of citizens and firefighters are of utmost importance, the union stressed.
“我们的领导人在这个工作面临和mitigated every situation you can imagine. Structure fires, vehicle entrapments, river rescues, gas emergencies … . Our members take orders from these leaders because they have earned respect from how they have dealt with these countless emergencies. To think you can put a member in charge who has led our members during none of these or any similar event simply is a recipe for a dangerous outcome,” union members wrote to city councilors.
The fire union, comprised of roughly 140-plus firefighters, has opposed the assistant fire chief’s position since it was unveiled in early March.
The proposal for the position was originally presented by Moriarty to the City Council’s ordinance committee on March 8.
No salary was specified for the non-union position which would provide “professional, administrative, technical and supervisory support” to the chief and Fire Department, according to the job description.
Addressing the ordinance committee, Moriarty said the assistant chief would be helpful to him managing a department in a growing city. The person would report directly to the chief, keeping him informed of current investigations and projects, assisting him with long-range planning, budget preparation, discipline and collective bargaining, “including but not limited to responding to grievances,” the proposal states.
“The assistant fire chief will serve as a member of the Department’s management team and will continuously seek to improve all aspects of the department’s operational effectiveness and efficiency,” it states.
Minimum qualifications include an associate’s degree in fire science, public administration, business administration or a related field, eight or more years of experience in firefighting, fire prevention and inspection work, a valid state driver’s license, and a series of firefighter and fire investigator certifications.
Zahn said the union will continue to “educate the public” about their opposition to the new job.
“If it goes forward the way it is being planned right now we intend to oppose it again through any means necessary,” said Zahn, including “no confidence” votes in DePena, Moriarty and “certainly the assistant chief.”
Follow staff reporter Jill Harmacinski on Twitter @EagleTribJill.
___
(c)2022 The Eagle-Tribune (North Andover, Mass.)
Visit The Eagle-Tribune (North Andover, Mass.) at www.eagletribune.com
Distributed byTribune Content Agency, LLC.
