Judge Spares New London Firefighters From Layoffs

NEW LONDON, Conn. -- A Superior Court judge has granted a request from the firefighters union for an injunction to halt the layoffs of 25 firefighters that would have taken effect at 5:30 p.m.

Battalion Chief Tom Curcio emerged from fire department headquarters and said he is trying to get hold of the people who had been directed to turn in their gear. A court hearing has been set for Aug. 6.

"We respect and will follow the process and will refer all questions to the law department," Mayor Daryl Justin Finizio said in a statement this afternoon.

Chief Administrative Officer Jane Glover was at fire headquarters on Bank Street earlier this afternoon to give the fired firefighters their layoff statements and to muster them out, mayoral assistant Zak Leavy said. Finizio, too, was at fire headquarters.

The mood at fire headquarters Tuesday had been grim. The nearly four-month drama between the mayor and the City Council over funding for the fire department's $8.9 million budget came to a screeching halt Monday night when the council tabled a tentative agreement with the union that would have saved all 25 jobs.

Those on duty at the Bank Street firehouse Tuesday were examining the work schedule, which showed three vacancies for the overnight shift.

Firefighters on duty Tuesday said they could not talk to the press but at Monday night's meeting, 10 firefighters asked the council to approve the tentative agreement, which would lower minimum staffing levels, cut the workforce through attrition and transfer the pensions of the city's 56 or so firefighters from a 401a savings plan to the Connecticut Municipal Employees System.

"This is has been difficult for me, my family and the entire department," said Kurt Fetzer, a 14-year member of the department who is one of the 25 losing their jobs. "The message we are getting is that we are not valued and are being used as pawns, yet everyday we put our lives on the line."

"We all face a roller coaster of emotions," said firefighter Jeffrey Rheaume. "But we remain focused."

Deputy Fire Chief Henry Kydd, a 34-year veteran of the department, told the council he has never seen a similar situation in the city. He warned that with the personnel cuts, response times to emergencies would go up and people's lives could be in danger.

"I feel members that are left will be in jeopardy. They will be forced to work all the overtime. They will be ordered in and their health and private lives will be in jeopardy," he said.

"You guys need to rethink and focus on what's right for the City of New London and what's right to protect the citizens of the city," he said at the council meeting.

McClatchy-Tribune News Service