MA Fire Chief Supports Independent Review of Department

WORCESTER, MA—Fire Chief Michael J. Lavoie says he welcomes an independent top-to-bottom review of the Fire Department and does not want a "whitewashed" report resulting from it.

He told the City Council Tuesday night he wants everything on the table when it comes to the review of his department's operations, training and deployment practices.

The chief emphasized he has "100% faith" in the members of the Fire Department, whom he described as "dedicated, professional and highly trained."

But with nine firefighters having lost their lives in the line of duty over the past 20 years, with the most recent one being Lt. Jason Menard in November, Lavoie said he supports having outsiders with professional experience compare the Fire Department to national standards and best practices across the country.

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The day after Menard died while battling a house fire at 7 Stockholm St., the chief said he expressed concerns to the city manager about the perception that some people had about what the Fire Department was doing, given the number of deaths in the line of duty it has suffered.

"The question I began asking was: Are we missing something?" Lavoie told the City Council. "I welcome this review. I do not want a whitewashed report and want everything on the table. We know how to do our jobs, and we're properly trained. But if we are missing something, I want to know about it so it can be corrected."

The city will be hiring a professional consultant to conduct an examination and analysis of the operations of the Fire Department.

The study will include a master plan for the Fire Department that will assess its internal operations and staffing, and provide a gap analysis of its current situation against national standards and best practices.

Simultaneous with that study, the city manager will conduct a review of the Division of Inspectional Services, since it works hand-in-hand with the Fire Department to ensure the safety of all buildings in the city. Such a coordinated approach by both departments is viewed as being critical to keeping residents and first responders safe.

City Manager Edward M. Augustus Jr. told the City Council that the independent review of the Fire Department is expected to take six to eight months to complete.

He said it is the common goal of his administration, along with the fire chief and Local 1009, International Association of Fire Fighters, to figure out ways of preventing injuries and deaths for firefighters.

"We will never be able to make firefighting a completely safe profession, but we want to do everything we can to make it less dangerous," Augustus said. "We want to take out as much danger and risk out of what is an inevitably dangerous job.

"I could not be prouder of the Worcester Fire Department," he added. "They are dedicated, professional and selfless individuals. We are now looking to challenge ourselves on how to protect them more."

Michael Papagni, president of Local 1009, said his union shares the same goal of the city manager and fire chief to make firefighters safer in doing their jobs.

He said the independent review will show what the Fire Departments needs are today and what the needs will be moving forward.

"We support this and look forward to the report when it comes out," Papagni said.

City councilors also embraced the idea of having an outside independent review done.

Councilor-at-Large Kathleen M. Toomey, chair of the City Council Public Safety Committee, said there are "nine reasons why we need to do this," in reference to the nine firefighters who have died in the line of duty over the past 20 years.

She said she expects the review will produce a comprehensive, data-driven report.

"We should not let one life lost be in vain," Toomey said. "This plan will provide an independent approach and insights into our Fire Department. Having this data and information will be incredibly important. It should bring a different perspective based on data and reality. Also, having everybody at the table for this is very important."

Councilor-at-Large Khrystian E. King said he is "extremely pleased" to see the city and Fire Department open to having an outside review done. He said he believes the review will confirm that the Fire Department is moving in the right direction.

"This will go a long way and no stone will be unturned," King said.

Mayor Joseph M. Petty said the fact that the city manager, fire chief and firefighters' union are working together on the study is very important.

"We don't want to go through this again," Petty said in reference to the firefighters' deaths. "This review will be a good stepping stone and I look forward to the report."

Part of the study will look at the Fire Department's current deployment model and test it to see if it meets the response needs of the community and its risks.

A community risk assessment will seek to understand the fire and life safety problem in Worcester and determine the type of protection the city has, based on national standards, while a strategic plan will provide a road map for implementing changes and improvements in the Fire Department.

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