New class of fire recruits will have to wait

06/08/2007

William Kaempffer , Register Staff

NEW HAVEN — With funding cuts and controversy swirling around the hiring exam, it could be late 2008 before a new class of fire recruits is hired, trained and ready to fill spots in the city's 10 firehouses. The Fire Department administration is hoping to work with aldermen to move up the timetable, with brass expressing concern about "burnout" of the existing work force, but the timeframe remains very much of an open question.

"There's no point talking about that at the moment," said Fire Commission Chairman William Celentano when asked whether the subject of hiring was broached at a recent commission meeting. "It's a moot point."

The Civil Service Commission approved a hiring list of 195 prospective fire recruits last month but aldermen pulled funding for any academy class during budget hearings. In April, the finance committee delayed the starting date six months by cutting $320,000 out of the proposed 2007-08 budget, which takes effect July 1.

Then, at the end of May, before passing a $443 million final budget, the full body delayed the date further, although there's some confusion over how long.

The move appears to have been part cost-saving measure in the face of an unpopular tax increase and part signal to the city administration over concerns over how the test was conducted.

Aldermen have requested a public hearing after a controversial flare up when the city unexpectedly indicated, after candidates already had taken both portions, that it would make the written component pass/fail and base the final ranks exclusively on the oral portion, which two third of candidates failed.

City officials maintain that was the plan from the beginning but administrators did a poor job communicating it. The fire union and other skeptics don't buy the explanation and assert the city administration, for whatever reason, switched the scoring method in the middle of the process.

Candidates, fire commission members, the fire union and aldermen all have said they believed ranks would be based on a blend of written and oral scores, like the city did in the Police Department exam months earlier.

Precisely how long the fire class will be delayed is a topic of some confusion. Rob Smuts, the city's chief administrative officer, and staff in the legislative services office, believed the budget amendments delayed the class by nine months.

Hill Alderman Jorge Perez, D-5, however, said funding was eliminated for the entire fiscal year. It was Perez's proposal to carve $3.5 million out of the budget that included the academy class cuts. His amendment failed, but the Fire Department component later was introduced individually by Alderman Alphonse Paolillo Jr. and passed. Paolillo's motion cut another $320,000 from the budget, which translates to the remainder of the fiscal year.

With a four-month fire academy, that would mean the soonest new firefighters could be trained and in firehouses would be November 2008.

Assistant Fire Chief Ron Dumas said he hoped it might be sooner if funding were restored.

"I'm concerned about burnout with the existing firefighters and the ability to maintain staffing. ... If we get a class in earlier, that helps us out operationally," he said. "We're holding out hope. Hopefully, we'll be able to work with the legislative body to get bodies in before then."

Perez and other aldermen said they're willing to listen. Westville Alderman Sergio Rodriguez, finance committee chairman, said "it would be great to have these young people on" before the end of next fiscal year.

Perez, however, said taxpayers' backs already are breaking under the tax rate. While he didn't entirely rule out restoring funding, it seemed like a long shot.

"Anything is possible in life. Is there a chance we'll get (another) $20 million from the state? It's possible but not likely."

Paolillo said it "speaks volumes" the budget amendment that removed funding cleared all the aldermanic hurdles last week and passed.

"There are many concerns and questions surrounding the entry level testing process," he said. "I think there's a lot of questions on a lot of folks' minds right now."

Firefighter Patrick Egan, the fire union president, didn't view burnout as a problem. Staffing levels aren't much different today than two years ago, and there are plenty of firefighters to pick up the unfilled shifts.

The delay came as no surprise to him given the questions that have been raised.

"I think most people kind of thought this wasn't going to happen any time soon, for one reason or another," he said.