Hometown Firefighter Named Asst. Chief

The city’s fire department looked around the country to find its next assistant chief — and ended up selecting a longtime member of their own firehouses here at home..

The Westville native and veteran firefighter who got the job is Justin Bialecki. He took the oath of office from the first floor of City Hall Monday afternoon. 

Bialecki fills the role of assistant chief of administration, charged with overseeing the department’s budget, labor relations and personnel matters. That job’s gone unfilled since May, when former assistant chief Justin McCarthy stepped down from the post to pursue a similar job in the suburbs.

Fire Chief John Alston Jr. said Bialecki was the only active New Haven firefighter to make it to a final round of five candidates considered following a nationwide search. Two retired New Haven firefighters were also serious competitors for the job. 

“Justin proved himself by his passion for his family, his love for the city, and his love for the firefighters,” Alston said at Monday’s swearing-in. ​“That’s all you want in a public servant, is that you care about people and you care about the work that you do.”

Bialecki is one of two assistant chiefs. Daniel Coughlin assumed the post of assistant chief of operations in March.

Hired in 2004 by New Haven FD, the first and only place he has served so far in his career, Bialecki has since held every line rank position from firefighter to deputy chief. The 39-year-old was born and raised in Westville. His father, Tony, worked in the city’s economic development office. (“From a very young age, I’ve been hearing about city politics around the dinner table,” Justin Bialecki recalled.) After graduating from Wilbur Cross, Bialecki received his bachelor’s degree in business management from Albertus Magnus College.

Bialecki said he was propelled into public service during his time in New Haven Public Schools. As a teenager, he spotted a flier on the wall of Wilbur Cross’ career service offices that prompted him to sign up for an emergency medical service (EMS) cadet program. He joined a class of 13 other New Haven high schoolers and 14 New Haven firefighters studying together to become emergency medical technicians: ​“The first time I did a ride time, I knew that was it.”

“I’m blessed that I grew up here,” Bialecki told the Independent after his father pinned a new badge marking his promotion onto his old uniform. ​“I think it’s important to have New Haveners who grew up here and understand the city on the force; it’s a job where everyday is different and you’re in a lot of tough positions, but the baseline goal is to help people.”