3 Fire Chief Finalists Selected

Vincent Landisio, retired Battalion Chief from the Elm City and Retired Chief of the North Haven Fire Department grew up in New Haven. He had an unblemished record in both departments he served and knows the ins and outs of the NHFD. That includes the rules and regulations of the department, the authority of the Board of Fire Commissioners, all elements of the collective bargaining agreement with Local 825, Civil Service promotional exam process and the Charter of the City of New Haven. His fire ground command is well established as a Battalion Chief in New Haven and as Chief of Department in North Haven along with his leadership in establishing Emergency Medical Response. He is familiar with the streets and structures in the City of New Haven. During his career in New Haven he was given a special assignment in 1996 to coordinate Fire Company inspection on every street in the city in conjunction with the Neighborhood Early Warning System, a major part of the Livable City Initiative (LCI). He is a proven leader - this is not a hard choice but would be the right choice for heading up the NHFD.

I agree completely with Mr Francis. Chief Landisio would be an exceptional choice.

@edward francis, well your track record this far has been great. The last recommendation you made left in disgrace. Another retiree who is only looking to pad his pension. As far as an unblemished record is concerned that needs a bit of vetting, get your facts in order. Experience in a rinky dink fire department is hardly a fair metric.

Unfortunately, Mayor Harp does not have the best track record appointing top staff. This is a big one, with all of the problems the FD has experienced. Chief Landisio has the historic, operational, and administrative knowledge and experience to begin running the New Haven Fire Department on day one.

Chief Landisio has run an entire department for many years, and returning to New Haven would require no on-the-job training as it would with the other candidates, who would need a map or a driver to find their way around the city. He has achieved a higher rank and level of experience than the others, Department Chief (which is higher than a battalion or a deputy chief - lest the public think all "Chiefs" are alike.)

This is not like picking an actor who will look and sound best for the part. It requires deep knowledge and skills, which will be tested daily - preferably ones that were acquired through an unblemished career in New Haven and beyond. There is no reason not to choose Chief Landisio.

@ Johnathan14,

"Unfortunately, Mayor Harp does not have the best track record appointing top staff."

If you viscerally believe that Mayor Harp has a negative track record with her appointments, why should she select your recommendation? I suggest she remain consistant according to you and appoint someone other than who you want.

I personally would like to hear from the Firebirds regarding their choice for chief of the department.

Landisio attempted to be retired or was retired in a disability according to the minutes of the North Haven Fire Commission link below. Regardless of if he was or not clearly he thought he couldn't do the North Haven job anymore. Why would he then think he could come back and run New Haven. A department 10x the size and 100x the operational volume.

http://www.northhaven-ct.gov/Meetings/FPA/Minutes/FPA20150310Minutes.pdf

Then I talked to some New Haven FD guys and they said if he comes back, even just for one day, his pension would increase by 30 to 40 thousand a year because of the higher Chiefs salary and because he was already here and retired.

Let's not get screwed here just to boost someone's pension. I would also rather have someone who is currently in a leadership position in an urban department. Landisio may have been good when he was here but he left. That's great that you grew up here but if that's part of your battle cry then why don't you live here anymore? The same reason you left the New Haven FD, opportunity for yourself. The same reason you want to come back. Nothing wrong with looking out for your own interest but call it like it is. Same with all finalists. The difference is the still are in leadership positions in urban departments. Anyone who thinks you can go from the major leagues to t-ball for over a decade and then think you can jump up to the plate and hit a 90mph fast ball lives in la la land. This isn't riding a bike people! Don't let us down with the obvious wrong choice Mayor Harp.

Is it possible the independent can look closer at this issue that Mr. Garvey has raised?

I'd like to know what led to his departure from North Haven like this what looks like a money grab at a disability pension. He supposedly was out of work for over a year and was unfit for work, what should also be looked into was what happened to his city owned car while he was there. The last thing this place needs is another scandal, mess or embarrassment. That got old a long time ago, when will they learn about rehiring these people that left years ago. It's like the definition of insanity, but then again we are dealing with an administration who's had one mess after another, so he may be the next fire chief.

I certainly wouldn't dream of commenting on any of the candidates abilities-if they are the top theee in a thorough vetting process- it's obvious they are all qualified. I will say that Chief Alston is as fine a person that I have ever worked with. After doing a little background research on the NHFD it is more than apparent that a strong leader that won't be swayed by pressure from all directions is probably a smart choice for the mayor to make.

Brian Jenkins,

Respectfully, the mayor's recent purge (Paca, et. al.) suggests that she herself was not happy with several of her appointees. I think she would accept that criticism, and deal with it as she has. Good leaders surround themselves and solicit advice from informed people who often disagree with them, without becoming disagreeable.

As for the Firebirds, sure, check with them. And I believe there are Latino and Irish affinity fraternal groups that she should also check with. Solicit input from the union, and perhaps other Connecticut city fire chiefs. The more input from diverse, informed groups, the better. I don't think the Firebirds should have veto power, but they have the right to offer their opinion like any other group.

Landisio left New Haven to run a hybrid ( volunteer and career) small town department. For most of his tenure he had 7 career firefighter working per shift doing mostly medical calls. If North Haven had 5 real working fires a year it was a lot. At the end of his career, he put in a paramedic group bringing his total paid complement up by an additional 1 or 2 firefighters by shift. All this time, he was working with the union to destroy the volunteer firefighters ranks so he could try to hire more paid people at the expense of the taxpayers. As for the fire stations, ask the volunteers what they think of his rebuilding program. I believe to a person they would disagree with the redesign of the stations. Running a small town fire department with one paid station and three all volunteer stations does not make someone a candidate for the New Haven job. He was injured enough riding a swivel chair in the chiefs office to grab a disability pension in North Haven, and now wants to get back into the big leagues. What did we have a healing miracle. Talk about beating up the taxpayers. This man is not just taking the taxpayers in North Haven for a bumpy ride, he is now trying to enhance the New Haven pension that he already has. You can't fall out of a chair in your office, claim to be injured enough to have to retire, and then seek a real job in the big city because you smile nice. I hope the mayor does her homework on this one. Both the city and the fire department deserve better than the last few chiefs that have held the job. Retreads with old ideas have not been working. An educated and experienced outsider from a large city department is better that a relic of the past from a very small town department. Landisio has been gone for over ten years and should stay gone. He probably could not find city hall on a good day.