In a letter to Mayor John M. Fabrizi, the Firebird Society and Northeast Region of the International Association of Black Professional Fire Fighters accuse Rooney of incompetence and malfeasance, partly because of the closing of a downtown engine company to help cover a budget gap.

Fabrizi imposed the budget cut that led to the closing, but is not blamed for the deaths in the letter.

The letter implores the mayor to "refrain from trying to balance the budget off the backs of the Bridgeport Fire Department & and the homes, hopes and dreams of the African community that are being destroyed by the devastating effects of fire on a daily basis."

Rooney, who ranked second among three finalists for permanent appointment as fire chief, said he will not step down and denies the allegations.

The minority firefighters contend the deaths of 30-year-old Ramona Holliday and her 2-year-old daughter Trisha in a March 29 blaze that raced through their Ridge Avenue apartment may not have occurred had not Engine Co. 5 been shut down in October 2005 as a budget-cutting measure. After the groups wrote their letter, Javis Holliday, the 59-year-old father of Ramona, who also lived in the South End building, died this week from fire injuries.

Closing the fire company reduced the number of firefighters available per shift and increased response time, claim both Ron Mackey, president of the Firebirds group, and Donald Day, leader of the Black Firefighters Association.

They do not cite specific fires for which they felt response time was increased.

In a city the group leaders claim is 65 percent nonwhite, the chief needs to be in close touch with the minority community, but Rooney is not, they say. Rooney defended himself in a 1-page note, arguing that he asked the City Council not to cut $1.3 million from the Fire Department budget last May. That cut led to the Engine 5 closing.

At that time, Fabrizi asked Rooney and the city firefighter union to find ways to save money, and closing a company was among the options, he said at the time.

Fabrizi said the Engine 5 closing was a last resort, done after city and fire officials could not agree on alternatives.

The black firefighter group leaders charged all officials involved in the cut with racism. Rooney, however, said the cuts did not contribute to the fire deaths. The Hollidays' home was not in the Hollow, Engine 5's primary coverage zone, he said.

Other cities with demographics similar to Bridgeport have also suffered fire fatalities in recent years, Rooney said.

Hartford had 16 fire deaths in 2002, and New Haven had six in 2004, he said.

He did not cite statistics for 2005 or 2006 for either city.

The deaths in the Holliday family brings the number of fire victims to 11 in a little more than a year. A 12th death, a 70-year-old woman found in her home after it caught fire, is under investigation.

He called the fire deaths tragic, but noted that most of them occurred in dwellings that had defective smoke detectors or lacked the devices entirely, Rooney said.

Fabrizi said it is unfortunate and "downright shameful" for the firefighter groups to make fire deaths a political issue.

He added that he does not believe that Rooney should resign.

"How do you blame fire fatalities on the chief?" he said.

The two groups also charged in their letter that "Chief Rooney has never reached out to the black or Hispanic community in general," or the black firefighter groups and Bridgeport Hispanic Fire Fighters Association.

Rooney said he welcomes cooperation with the three groups in fire safety education efforts as a way to prevent fire fatalities in the future.

Provisional Senior Fire Inspector Ron Morales, president of the Hispanic firefighter group, said his group sponsors fire safety courses for families and senior citizens, independent of the Fire Department.

Rooney said black and Hispanic fire officials, as well as community groups, are blitzing the city with fire safety pamphlets and information.

Volunteers from AmeriCorps are also installing smoke alarms in city homes, and the American Red Cross is supplying fire education materials for children in kindergarten through fifth grade in all city schools, the provisional chief said.

"We're working on it right now," he said of efforts to promote fire safety.

The Hispanic firefighters' group echoed the complaints about closing Engine 5, but did not seek Rooney's resignation. The association is not impressed with his work during his tenure as provisional chief, Morales said.

But both Fabrizi and Rooney said the Fire Department can maintain safe coverage without Engine 5.

The mayor claims closing the engine company and hiring new firefighters will reduce overtime and cut overall costs in the long run. Part of the closing plan calls for hiring 16 firefighters, who are now in training.

The company was closed indefinitely, but Fabrizi said it may not be permanent.

"We look at that every day and it's not slated to reopen yet," he said.

An engine is the only fire truck that carries water, and a company comprises the firefighters that run it. The rookies are training at the Fairfield Fire Department's testing grounds. They have been hired and will join the force in June, Rooney said.

Aaron Leo, who covers regional issues, can be reached at 330-6222.