Statement from Fire Chief Ed Collina

You may have heard that the Melrose Fire Prevention Office is currently closed. During this closure, we are continuing to provide the same services as when it is open. As Chief of the Melrose Fire Department, my first priority is safety: The safety of our men and women in the Fire Department and the safety of the citizens of Melrose. Every decision that I make is influenced by this.

Since some misinformation has been circulating about our Fire Prevention office on social media, I would like to offer the following information.

First of all, I want to emphasize that all the functions of the Fire Prevention office are still being performed, even though the office itself is closed. The firefighters who are on duty each day are taking on day-to-day assignments, such as inspections. This is not unusual. We will continue to enforce the Fire Prevention codes and applicable laws of the Commonwealth during the Fire Prevention Office closure and will adapt our operations as needed.

The Fire Prevention Office was closed at the request of the Local 1617 Fire Union, which was exercising its rights under a long-standing Fire Prevention Agreement between the City and the Union that requires a total of seven active captains in order to maintain a Fire Prevention Office. Any time there are fewer than seven active captains in the Department, the office must be closed and its duties are transferred to the fire companies that make up the Department. This closure is temporary and is entirely consistent with the way the Fire Prevention Office has been operated since 1996 when there are less than seven active Captains.

The retirements of Chief Leary (resulting in my promotion to Chief) and Captain Robert Kendall have created two captain vacancies, so we currently have a total of five. I have been working with the Union in an effort to improve and modernize the promotion process, and once an agreement with the Union is reached, I intend to fill those vacancies as quickly as possible. 

The situation is complicated by vacancies in the other ranks. Seven members of the Fire Department have retired so far this calendar year, and all but one of them did not make their retirement plans known until just before their retirement dates.

The hiring committee has been doing their due diligence since May in performing background checks and conducting interviews to fill the six remaining openings.

I am happy to report that we have hired a lateral transfer firefighter paramedic, who previously worked in the Town of Amesbury, who will start his employment this week. Three other offers of hire have been accepted, and all three are expected to be in training no later than September 5, 2018.

Additionally, two other candidates are being interviewed this week for the two remaining open positions. After pre-employment exams, the candidates have to pass a Physical Ability Test that is conducted by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It is my hope that all positions will be filled by early October at the latest.