Oct. 02 -- UTICA, NY -- For the last three months, interim Utica fire Chief James Barefoot said he has done his best to stabilize a department under recent scrutiny for a number of "off-color" indiscretions.
Now Barefoot's time has come to an end.
Barefoot, who retired from the Utica Fire Department as a captain in 2012, came out of retirement upon his appointment by Mayor Robert Palmieri to the interim chief's position. Monday was his last day on the job.
He was appointed to replace John Kelly, a deputy chief serving in former fire Chief Russell Brooks' stead as the latter remained on paid, administrative, nondisciplinary leave due to health issues. Kelly, however, resigned from the interim job after he was found in violation of department policy in connection to a series of lewd text messages between Kelly and a potential fire department recruit.
"I was pleased, and honored, and humbled to be asked," Barefoot said. "It's more than what I could have ever expected. I love this department. But they'll move forward. I know they're not going to have any problems."
The 60-year-old Barefoot cannot be reappointed to another term in accordance to Civil Service Law. Brooks, meanwhile, retired over the weekend after reaching the mandatory retirement age of 70 last month. Brooks worked 43 years with the fire department, with about 14 of those as chief — and the last year and a half spent on leave.
"If there was any way to keep (Barefoot) on until at least a new chief would be selected, he was a breath of fresh air," said Mayor Robert Palmieri, who appointed Barefoot effective July 2. "He was a great, inspirational role model for the Utica Fire Department. I would have loved to keep him."
Palmieri, the city's public safety commissioner, has not yet announced the next provisional chief of the fire department. By virtue of his role as assistant chief, Scott Ingersoll will serve as acting fire chief for the time being.
The mayor's office said the next provisional chief will be announced this week.
In the meantime, the city plans to test internal and external candidates for the fire chief's position, using qualifications and requirements approved over the summer by the city's Civil Service Commission.
Turnover is not all that has mired the fire department in the past year.
Brooks continues to challenge Palmieri and city officials in court as he seeks acknowledgement from the city that he is eligible for benefits offered to those who contract illnesses — chronic lymphocytic leukemia, in Brooks' case — as a result of 9/11 recovery operations. Attorneys are next set to appear later this month for a hearing regarding the most recent lawsuit.
Meanwhile, misdemeanor charges against firefighter Richard Forte stem from a Jan. 6 complaint by a female Utica firefighter who reportedly found ejaculate on an extra pair of her pants after returning from a call. Then there was the situation with Kelly, who remains a deputy chief.
When he was first sworn into his three-month appointment, Barefoot said he wanted to restore the public's trust in the department and "get past some of these past indiscretions." Another goal, he said Monday, was to bring calm and order to the fire department.
Over his three-month appointment, Barefoot said he sought to enhance the department's fire prevention outreach program — something he started back in the late 1980s. He said he made it a point to visit firefighters at one firehouse per shift to impart his beliefs on professionalism and conduct to reinforce their own.
And while the firefighting basics and command structure have not changed much since his retirement, Barefoot said he worked to catch up with some of the nuances of current operations and administration with help in particular from Ingersoll and chief's Assistant Sue Risucci.
All things considered, Barefoot said he believes he was able to accomplish his goals.
"I don't want to trivialize what happened," Barefoot said Monday. "I looked at it as a bump in the road. Ugly things happened, but it did not, in any way, paint a picture of the whole fire department. So I never felt it was a real emergency, where things were falling apart at the seams. I just felt that I had to right the ship and just give them a point in the right direction moving forward again feeling that they had a chief and an assistant chief that are going to work together, and I've had a great time working together with Assistant Chief Ingersoll."
Ingersoll said Utica's firefighters understand the professionalism expected of them.
"The foundation of our fire department and our personnel is that we have a lot of great firefighters here. They understand the job," he said. "That's just ingrained in them."
For his part, Barefoot — though honored by his appointment to interim chief — said he never wanted to be chief full-time. He will go back to working at his business, ABC Fire Extinguisher Co.
Barefoot said he completely stepped away from his previous job during his time as chief to dispel any perceptions of him using his position to steer people to the Court Street business.
His advice for the next chief?
"Never lose sight of where you came from," Barefoot said. "I think in any walk of life, it's not rocket science. You just need to use good judgment, reason, compassion and think things through before you act."
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