LTE: Clarifying Issues Between Fairfield FD & Fire Chief McCarthy

The following Letter to the Editor is by William (Liam) Burke and Dorothea E. Brennan:

To the Editor:

We write to clarify some of the issues that have been raised in the media regarding the Fairfield Fire Department and Fire Chief Denis McCarthy.

As Fairfield residents, we rely on the bravery, training, and dedication of all our first responders, but especially our Firefighters.

Unfortunately, the negotiations for the Firefighters 2021 ? 2025 contract got off to a very poor start due to both sides being far apart in their contract demands/offers. Feeling that they were not making any progress in the negotiations for a contract that was supposed to begin in 2021, the Union demanded arbitration, as was their right. Only after that arbitration demand was
made did the Town and Union come up with serious offers. Fortunately, the pay issues are now
resolved but the process has left many with feelings of distrust. We all want what is best for the Town. This distrust is especially unfortunate as there are still serious issues that need to be
discussed and for which resources will be needed.

During the arbitration, Chief McCarthy was the town?s witness and testified as to its offer. He pointed to the need for a better response time through increases in staffing and stations,
especially in the Northeastern corner of the Town where the greatest increase in development
has occurred. Where there was once a truck farm, a nursing home now stands. Sacred Heart
University has gone from a commuter school to a campus that resembles a small city and is still
growing. Side lots throughout the Town have been turned into houses. The Chief?s
recommendation for a study to determine whether a new station should be built and, if so, where is in the pipeline and needs to go forward as soon as possible.

The Union would like to have the number of firefighters on each truck increased to the standards of their professional organization. They rely on National Fire Protection Association Standard NFPA# 1710 which addresses fire fighter staffing in various situations. The NFPA is a self-funded non-profit fire fighters? association. They do good research but to date #1710 has not been adopted by the State of Connecticut and when we checked recently only 6 municipalities, mostly the larger cities, in CT currently follow the standard.

The Union makes a credible case for this increase in personnel, and it is worth serious consideration. The response time to most of the northeastern and northwestern sections of the town, cannot be solved by additional staffing at existing stations. We believe the proposed
study of location, equipment and staffing is the best path forward for the town and urge the board of selectmen to approve it forthwith.

We believe that focusing on one solution without the study is premature. We hope that these important issues can be discussed by all of those who care so much for Fairfield?s residents and firefighters with mutual respect.

Chief McCarthy has served as a firefighter for over 48 years including 8 years as Fire Chief of the
Town of Fairfield, 10 years as Chief of the City of Norwalk, and 3 years as Chief of the Town of Westport. There are many complex issues that confront the Fairfield Fire Department as to how to provide the best response to emergencies at a cost that is tolerable to the Taxpayers and safeguards our fire fighters. While reasonable people may disagree on issues, in our opinion, the Chief worked hard to do right by the citizens, his fellow firefighters and the taxpayers. We look forward to working with the Chief, the Union, and the Town Administration as we confront these difficult issues over the next several years.

Sincerely,
William (Liam) Burke, 2024 Chair, Fairfield Fire Commission
Dorothea E. Brennan, 2023 Chair, Fairfield Fire Commission