Posted by Shore Publishing on Nov 26 2008, 01:48 PM
By Sean Fogarty, Courier Staff Writer:
Life-long resident Charles “Chuck” Licata has taken over the reins as East Haven’s assistant fire chief, a position left vacant over the summer by the retirement of Paul Cahill.
Licata said the position, the highest tested position in the department, was a natural move.
“After they decided to fill the position, they decided to run a test and I figured it was the natural thing for me to do,” he said. “I’ve worked as a deputy chief for 15 years. I put my name in and went through the testing process.”
Licata started his career as a firefighter fresh out of high school, volunteering at 18 before testing to become a paid firefighter in 1986 at the age of 24.
Since then, he has served as a firefighter and an EMT, using his training in both professions to teach certification classes at the fire department.
“We run our own classes to keep the cost of things down and, for the department, most are in-house [recertifications]; we don’t go out much,” said Licata. “We have qualified people within the department. It’s a huge savings.”
The new position allows Licata to maintain his schedule and enjoy a weekday job that lets him spend time with his two sons–17-year-old Chris and 13-year-old Tyler, both working their way through the same school system as their father–and his wife Dawn, who runs a dance studio in North Branford.
Fire Chief Douglas Jackson, who’s worked with Licata for several years, said he’s “very happy about the appointment.”
“Chuck [Licata] is a very qualified individual,” said Jackson. “He is very optimistic. We complement each other’s abilities and the department will move forward at a much more rapid rate with the two of us together.”
Cahill, who retired from the position after 37 years of service to the East Haven Fire Department, said he was also pleased by Licata’s appointment.
“Chuck is very much so the best candidate,” said Cahill.