Sweeney’s resignation became effective at 4:30 p.m. Friday, according to Joseph P. Callahan Jr., secretary of the Center District’s Fire Commission.

Reached Friday by phone, Callahan said Sweeney cited personal reasons for declining to accept the department’s top job and explained that he has two sons in high school in Milford and didn’t want to disrupt their education.

In order to be permanent fire chief, Sweeney would have had to move into West Haven from his home in Milford.

He will go back to being a captain.

“You have to respect Eddie’s decision, for the department and for his family,” Callahan said. “Were just going to have to regroup and go again. This is a work in progress.”

Sweeney’s two-week stint as acting fire chief follows a year of difficult transitions in the department that started with the surprise retirement of longtime Fire Chief William S. “Wiggy” Johnson Jr. in February.

Sweeney took over Nov. 26 from Deputy Chief Scott Schwartz, who had been overseeing the department since former Fire Chief William L. Abbott retired in September after only seven months on the job.

Some people had questioned why the commission appointed Sweeney as acting interim chief right away instead of keeping Schwartz at the helm until a new contract was signed.

Reached early Friday, Sweeney declined to comment and said he would make a statement later in the day. He could not be reached later.

Callahan said Sweeney informed the commission of his intent to step down Thursday. He added that the department will be staffed over the weekend by captains, as usual, with Schwartz on call, and that the commission will meet as soon as possible to discuss naming a new chief.

Callahan said he is not worried about the delay in finding a permanent leader for the Center District.

“Sometimes haste is no good, especially when you are dealing with the future,” he said.

The majority of firefighters at the Center District range in age from their 20s to 40s, so it’s a relatively young department, Callahan noted. The responsibilities of a fire chief are complex and include dealing with the public, handling budgets and overseeing contract negotiations.

“You’re talking about an entirely different ballgame,” Callahan said.

Sweeney, 46, was captain before he was named acting chief and has 27 years of experience as a firefighter in the Center District, seven of them as a volunteer. The married father of four boys served the department as lieutenant from 1995 to 2001 and as captain since 2001.

Also interviewed by the commission were Schwartz, two captains and five lieutenants, including City Councilman James P. O’Brien, D-6, and Lt. William S. Johnson IV, former Chief Johnson’s son.

Anyone in the department with 10 years of experience was eligible to apply for the job.

Asked early Friday about the news of Sweeney’s resignation, Schwartz declined to comment, citing the fact that he is still a contender for the job. The commission will meet at 6 p.m. Tuesday at Center District headquarters, 366 Elm St.

Callahan said it is possible the commission will call an emergency meeting before then to discuss the matter.

Abbe Smith can be reached at asmith@nhregister.com or 789-5615.

© 2007 New Haven Register - a Journal Register Property. All Rights reserved.