New Haven Independent

At a special meeting at the headquarters Wednesday afternoon at 952 Grand Ave., the Board of Fire Commissioners voted unanimously to promote three men to the position of fire inspector/investigator.

Few firefighters have risen in rank since the city tried to do promotions in 2003. The promotions concerned two different positions, captain and lieutenant. Arguing that not enough blacks and Latinos did well on the exams, the city threw out the tests, prompting a firestorm of racial tension and a legal battle that now sits before the U.S. Supreme Court. (Click here to read more about the pending case, Ricci v. DeStefano.)

Meanwhile, he city has tiptoed toward making new promotions in the department. Since 2003, the city has raised promoted candidates to only a few specialized positions. No new lieutenants or captains have been named.

The fire marshal’s office has been waiting for relief after its 11-person team all but vanished in a wave of retirements. From 2005 to 2008, eight people from the office retired without being replaced.

“I’m happy to get the help,” said Fire Marshal Joe Cappucci (pictured), one of only three men left standing in the office. His office is responsible for investigating suspicious fires and making sure buildings comply with fire code.

In contrast to past proceedings, Wednesday’s vote passed with no discussion or dissent.

The meeting lasting less than 10 minutes. Fire Chief Michael Grant submitted a recommendation as to whom the board should promote. He chose the top three names on the list: Faustino Lopez III, Michael Odenwaelder, and Robert Doyle.

Commissioners approved the recommendation by a unanimous vote.

“I have no issues,” said Commissioner Boise Kimber (in photo at top of this story), who had previously urged the board to look deeper down the list for candidates. He indicated he was happy to see two Hispanics promoted. The third man promoted is white.

Kimber’s comment represented a change in tune from the board’s last meeting, where he urged his fellow commissioners to interview all candidates before deciding whom to promote. The commissioner is the reverend of an African-American church and has long lobbied for the inclusion of minorities in city business.

There were no African-Americans in the top seven slots of the ranked list, which was presented to the board earlier this month and approved by the Civil Service Commission on Feb. 17. A total of 15 candidates passed the test and made it on the list. Five more candidates flunked the test.

Of the 15 people who passed the test, eight are white, two are Hispanic, four are black, and one identifies as “other.” Kimber’s effort to add another layer to the hiring process by interviewing all of them died in a 3-2 vote.

After he and his fellow commissioners approved the three promotions Wednesday, the list was sent to the state’s judicial branch, which is keeping an eye over all fire department promotions because of an order stemming from an “underfilling lawsuit,” not to be confused with the Ricci case. (Click here to read about that case.)

Because of that case, all promotions are overseen by a court-appointed “special master,” then approved by the court. The special master has already approved this promotion process, city officials said. One more approval by Superior Court Judge Emmet L. Cosgrove was expected Wednesday, clearing the way for a promotional ceremony scheduled for Friday. The newly promoted firemen will then dive into a training class on Monday.

Pat Egan, president of the firefighters’ union, welcomed the progress.

“We’re happy that there is finally some testing going to fill much-needed positions within the office of the fire marshal,” he said. He turned his focus the remaining five vacancies in that office, which will be filled through additional promotions from within.

“We would hope that testing for other positions in that office gets expedited in the next year or so, so that we can have a full” team, he said, and “so we can make sure fire code is enforced, buildings are properly equipped, and people’s lives aren’t at risk.”

Read past stories on fire department promotions:

• Fire Inspector List Approved
• Latino Group Backs White Firefighters
• NAACP Backs City In Firefighter Case
• U.S. Supreme Court To Hear Firefighters’ Case
• Fire Promotions Examined in Supreme Court