NORWALK -- After three years without a contract, the city and Firefighters Local 830 leaders announced Wednesday that they have reached a tentative four-year agreement, which, if approved, will give Norwalk firefighters on average 3-percent annual wage increases retroactive to July 1, 2002. The tentative agreement will be written into a formal contract by July 11 and go to the rank and file of the International Association of Firefighters Local 830 for a ratification vote, likely sometime in August. If ratified, the agreement will be sent to the Common Council for final approval. "Three years is a long time to be working on a project, and (Local 830 negotiators) ought to be commended for dealing with this issue and working hard," said Fire Chief Denis McCarthy, announcing the tentative agreement with Mayor Alex Knopp, Local 830 President Ken Hall and a dozen firefighters at City Hall on Wednesday afternoon. "It really is a tremendous benefit to the department and the city to put this behind us." The tentative agreement, signed by Knopp and Hall, calls for 2 percent annual wage increases for the first two years since firefighters' last contract expired June 30, 2002. Firefighters would receive 4 percent annual increases for fiscal year 2004 and the fiscal year beginning July 1. Under the tentative agreement, firefighters would participate in a health insurance cost-sharing agreement with the city, as other municipal employees do. Knopp said it would be unfair to discuss other aspects of the proposed agreement before firefighters review it. Some provisions of the agreement would extend beyond June 30, 2006, he said. Firefighters have not received a pay raise since their last four-year collective-bargaining agreement expired three years ago. By February 2004, the matter had gone before the state Board of Mediation and Arbitration and became a sour point for firefighters and Knopp. Knopp said Wednesday that the inability of the city and firefighters to reach a contract had become an "impediment" in his relationship with the fire department. "I hope that our outcome today is a confirmation of the fact that even though we may have had disagreement on some collective-bargaining issues ... that my personal respect for the heroism and courage of the Norwalk firefighters has never been diminished," said Knopp, holding a firefighter's helmet presented to him on his becoming mayor nearly four years ago. McCarthy, the former Westport fire chief appointed to lead the Norwalk Fire Department two months ago, said he attended only three negotiation meetings. As such, McCarthy credited Knopp, Hall and the union's nine-member negotiating team for reaching the tentative agreement. "We came away with the best deal we could get," Hall said. Also on the negotiating team were Local 830 Vice President Peter Brown; Deputy Fire Chief Kenneth Ehlers; and Capt. Ed Prescott, who as spokesman for the union, has pressed the city and council to resolve the impasse. Knopp said the tentative agreement will ensure that firefighters are paid "wages and benefits second to none," provide for their families, the interests of the city, and allow the fire department to focus on the future. Among the initiatives mentioned was a $55,000 assessment study completed by The Matrix Consulting Group. The study calls for renovating the Charles Volk Fire Station and eventually building a sixth station near the Merritt 7 office complex. Pressure to reach a new contract increased when Republican Councilmen Richard A. McQuaid and Douglas E. Hempstead earlier this month introduced a resolution urging the city to "move forward post haste" on the matter. One June 14, firefighters picketed outside City Hall and later attended the council meeting. The council passed a Democratic-sponsored alternative to the resolution. Knopp dismissed the resolutions as the reason behind the tentative agreement. McCarthy said the turning point came when the city and union leaders realized that they "were in agreement on a great many issues and disagreement on very few." Also attending Wednesday were Deputy Fire Chief Laurence Reilly; Scott A. Weiss, attorney for Local 830; Saranne P. Murray, attorney for the city; and Sara LeTourneau, personnel director for the city. Prescott said firefighters' last four-year contract gave Local 830 members annual wage increases of 3 percent.