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Who Needs One, Anyway?

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THE CLUELESS MAYOR OF NORTH PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND, continues to decimate emergency services while preserving non-essential agencies.  Recently Mayor Charles Lombardi laid off several police officers and in December he closed one of the city’s four fire stations despite strong public protests.  (See the Firegeezer video report on that action HERE.)

Now Lombardi has come up with a unique budgetary solution to preserve funds for pet projects that hasn’t been tried before.  He is refusing to fill the vacant Fire Chief’s position.  Former Chief Alfred Bertoncini resigned in December and Lombardi says that the city does not need one anymore, so a replacement will not be hired. 

lombardi a

His plans call for the three battalion chiefs to share the duties of  Fire Chief and be responsible for the daily operation of the department.  Taking advantage of their mutual-aid agreements, North Providence will rely on chief officers from other towns to run major fire scenes and emergencies.  (Firegeezer wonders if he checked with the other towns first about this transfer of responsibility.)

WPRI-TV has this video report with the mayor explaining his decision:

As for turning these duties over to the battalion chiefs, Firegeezer refers you to our video report HERE from last November on Battalion Chief David Charello being hauled before the court on five felony charges.

Posted by on February 18, 2010 • Filed under: Administration & Leadership, Fire Rescue Topics, Fire-ology, Funding & Staffing, Videos
  • DaGonz

    The neighboring communities will be “thrilled” that their chief officers will now be running incidents in North Providence.

    Three different bosses.. three different ways…. no wonder Firefighters Against Charles E. Lonmbardi (FECAL) are tired of his crap!

  • WMAFirebuff

    Well by Mayor Lombardi's logic, wouldn't the Mayor's position be “expendable” too?? Since, if, the FD doesn't need a leader, then, I would presume, the city doesn't need one either…or at least THIS one.

  • Clem Kadiddlehoffer

    “The closed one of the city’s four fire stations despite strong public protests.”

    He will be just another clown politician who will find that he can't get re-elected because the American people have finally realized that when they put someone in office and that person refuses to listen to the will of the people … he / she is voted out in the next election.

  • CBEMT

    http://www.breezeobserver.com/Free/MAIN-np-audi…

    Apparently Hizzoner has talked to several of the neighboring chiefs, and they're “happy” to help. (I wonder if he even knows that the respective Chiefs of Department don't even go to every fire in their own cities?)

  • Clem Kadiddlehoffer

    “The closed one of the city’s four fire stations despite strong public protests.”

    He will be just another clown politician who will find that he can't get re-elected because the American people have finally realized that when they put someone in office and that person refuses to listen to the will of the people … he / she is voted out in the next election.

  • CBEMT

    http://www.breezeobserver.com/Free/MAIN-np-audi…

    Apparently Hizzoner has talked to several of the neighboring chiefs, and they're “happy” to help. (I wonder if he even knows that the respective Chiefs of Department don't even go to every fire in their own cities?)

    So now the on-duty BC gets to do all the administrative tasks that the DOC used to do every day, PLUS run their shift (50% of which are overnights)- going on calls, visiting stations, attending trainings, etc etc. And oh yeah, they're already down one BC thanks to the one that's suspended. Sounds like a great plan!

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