Aliyya Swaby Photo
Chris Forslund, Jennifer Forslund, Santora pose at ceremony.
Jennifer Forslund was encouraged by her father to avoid his firefighting lineage and go into another field after graduation.
Tuesday, her decision to press ahead in the family business earned its rewards, as she was promoted from firefighter to fire investigator and inspector after more than 20 years in New Haven’s fire department.
Forslund was one of six members of the fire department to receive promotions at the New Haven Fire Training Division at 230 Ella T. Grasso Boulevard. All of the promotions are in the fire marshal’s office, a year after the city swore in Bobby Doyle as the first fire marshal since 2011.
Acting Fire Chief Matt Marcarelli announced each of the six promotions, saluting each member and handing over a new badge. As new apartment buildings and other developments pop up throughout the city, the fire marshal’s office is more and more taxed with work inspecting them, he said.
“It’s probably the busiest fire marshal’s office in the state of Connecticut right now,” Marcarelli said. “The fire marshal plays a very active role in making sure” development takes place.
The new positions are in place “after many years of them being vacant,” he said.
Marcarelli, Filardo.
Three people were promoted from fire inspector/investigator to new positions within the office. Former fire inspector/investigator Ray Sarracco became the fire investigative supervisor, overseeing other investigators. Frank Filardo was sworn in as life safety compliance officer, receiving all blueprints for new development to ensure they follow state safety codes and the local fire code. Heather Myers was promoted to public assembly inspector, responsible for making sure all places of public assembly as regularly inspected.
Myers was accidentally left off the fire commissioners’ agenda Tuesday. She was sworn in Tuesday, but commissioners will have to hold a special meeting Wednesday to vote her promotion through.
Their promotions left three vacancies in the fire inspector/investigator positions, which investigate fires and conduct inspections to keep buildings up to state and local codes. Three firefighters were promoted to fill those vacancies.
Sarracco, Myers, Forslund, Maidelis, Filardo, Miranda.
Isaias Miranda, Meghan Maidelis and Forslund all were sworn in as fire inspector/investigators Tuesday.
Forslund’s husband, Chris Forslund, a New Haven firefighter, pinned her badge. Her father, retired North Haven Fire Captain Ralph Santora, rushed up to take a selfie with her.
Firefighting is a family job. Chris Forslund joined the department five years after his wife, now on Engine 9 at Ellsworth Station.
Santora attended Wilbur Cross High School, and sent his daughter Jennifer Forslund to Sacred Heart St. Peter School, a private school in the Hill neighborhood. He expected her to take another life path, but at 19 years old, she joined the fire department.
“I was young, tough as a bull and grew up in Fair Haven,” she said. “I wanted to give back.”
