Ex-Wallingford, CT, Fire Chief Had Firefighter Take Exams for Him, Report Says

Sep. 17—WALLINGFORD — Senior officers at the Wallingford Fire Department are alleged to have ordered a firefighter to take a CPR exam on behalf of former fire chief Joseph Czentnar while pretending to be Czentnar, according to a report from the state Department of Public Health.

The report was initiated in early March after a letter from Wallingford Firefighter's Association President Shock Baitch was sent to the state. He had concluded there may be merit to a claim that Czentnar ordered career firefighter Andrew Badamo to take the American Heart Association exam in his place.

The Wallingford Fire Department and Czentnar did not respond to requests for comment.

Badamo told investigators that on April 8, 2021 he was ordered by the then-chief to complete the online portion of the chief's CPR test, the report states. It says that Badamo, a union member who has since left the Wallingford Fire Department, felt that he was being given a direct order and that failure to comply would have meant severe employment consequences.

He told investigators he was approached by the chief again a week later and ordered to attend the in-person skills course on April 15.

Though the New Britain EMS instructor was suspicious that Badamo was not Czentnar, he was allowed to take the course anyway, according to the report. When card indicating the course was completed was issued after completion of the course, Czentnar used it to renew his EMS certification, the report states.

"I felt it was a direct order," Badamo said in the report. "I was given a nametag ... that said 'Hello, my name is Joe Czentnar.' With that name tag I attended the practical skills portion of the class in the lower classroom ... as Chief Czentnar."

He said in the report he acted under the fire chief's direct order.

"As a new employee I felt intimidated by Chief Czentnar and pressured into completing this refresher," he said in the report. "I also feared I would lose my job if I did not complete the task I was given. Understanding that the order I was given was unacceptable I reported it immediately following the class to the instructor."

Baitch clarified in an interview that he and his union at no point wanted to accuse Czentnar of wrongdoing, or that he'd necessarily done anything improper, but felt there was merit to the claim and forwarded the information to the state to investigate as they felt it was beyond the purview of the union itself.

According to officials from DPH's Office of Emergency Medical Services, the investigation was concluded and closed after Czentnar voluntarily surrendered his license on June 24, following his sudden retirement in late April.

Though Czentnar did surrender his license, which had been renewed again since the 2021 incident in 2022, according to Czentnar's account, the findings of the report didn't directly accuse him or others of wrongdoing.

"Regrettably, the allegation has some merit and I assume sole responsibility for the alleged actions brought forth. To my recollection there was no other party involved," Czentnar said in a statement to the investigator included in the report.

Yet 10 days later he added an addendum to the statement that denied the allegations.

"I am stating that I did not order, direct, ask, or otherwise influence Andrew Badamo or anyone else to attend the CPR refresher and represent them as me," his new statement reads. "I am unaware of what was orchestrated or occurred in the refresher class."

Baitch said there was a lingering concern from union representatives that a member of the department felt they were put into a compromised situation.

"It's very concerning that anybody would be put into a situation like that, especially from a fire officer regardless of rank," Baitch said. "It's a supervisor and there's certain standards they have to meet. We did take it seriously once we validated the information that was provided by our member and it's our hope that something like this will never happen again."

Witnesses told investigators that Badamo attended the course wearing a nametag with the former chief's name on it and that Czentnar wasn't in attendance. His name, however, is recorded in the roster of names for the course that took place on April 15th, 2021, while Badamo's is not.

Jason Beloin, one of the attendants at the session, noted in the report the instructor didn't seem to be fooled by the name change.

"I remember the class and the instructor laughing and joking about it at the start of class," Beloin said in his statement. "It should be noted that Andrew Badamo was a new employee at the time and was simply following orders."

The incident may signify a culture issue with the department that the town council has been looking to investigate following Czentnar's retirement. It unanimously approved bringing in a third-party consultant in July.

"If the allegations are true, then I think it's emblematic of a deeper problem in the fire department management," said Town Council Chairman Joseph Marrone, who has been a large proponent of the assessment. "

He said he looks forward to the new chief coming and bringing a fresh perspective, with others saying he can steer the department in a new direction.

Late last month, Czentnar's successor, Stratford Deputy Chief James Buck, took the mantle of the new department head with 30 years of experience in the field.

"The chief is retired, so I'm not sure if there's anything to be done about it from that perspective," Marrone said. "But if there are other people involved, it's certainly not conduct becoming an officer."

The council undertook the initiative to examine the culture of the department and address inefficiencies in administration, which some felt led to a high turnover rate in their chiefs. At the time fire department officials expressed to the council that they didn't think the investigation was necessary.

A timeline of when the investigation would take place remains uncertain, as a cost estimate has yet to be put forward to the council.

"I'm very concerned if what is alleged is true for the benefit of all public safety, it's very important," said town councilor Craig Fishbein. "I did think that Chief Czentnar's retirement was sudden. To me there had been no previous indication that that was upcoming. It seemed to happen very fast, which would indicate there was something going on."

The former chief was not the only member of the department who was reportedly involved in issuing the order to Badamo, according to the investigation. Lt. Michael Krupinski directed Badamo to follow Czentnar's orders, Badamo alleged according to the report. Krupinski denies the allegation in the report.

"I was directed by Chief Czentnar and LT. Krupinski to take the online portion of the AHA BLS course in the upstairs classroom," Badamo said in the report.

Krupinski still remains at the department. In the report he said that he had no recollection of having such a conversation with Badamo. He also levies sharp criticism at the union and Baitch, alleging they had tried to coerce information from him under false pretenses.

"I find it deeply disturbing that my union conducted an investigation and filed a complaint against me, without my knowledge," Krupinski said in the report. "I find it equally troubling that the complaintant, union president Shock Baitch, contacted me under pretense of union protection while attempting to coerce information from me."

Krupinski did not return requests for comment.

Baitch said the union conducted no investigation and merely filed a report with the state regarding Czentnar alone, and had no knowledge of Krupinski being allegedly involved.

"At no time did I ever coerce or attempt to coerce any information from Michael since I had no reason to solicit any information from Michael," Baitch said. "DPH told me earlier that day that he was not the target of the investigation which I relayed to him."

In the initial letter filed, Krupinski was not named. He was mentioned by Badamo during the investigation process.

"At no time did I, or any other member of Local 1326 investigate or verify any specific statements made by the whistleblower," Baitch said. "We simply included what was provided to us in the complaint to DPH to determine the validity of those statements."

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