Haverhill Firefighters and the CPSM Study Presentation to City Council – 3/7/2023
Since early 2019, the Haverhill Firefighters have been working with several city leaders to try and improve our working conditions, our safety, and the safety of the public. Many of our concerns were also echoed by Fire Chief O’Brien, the city council, and the public. In 2022, Mayor Fiorentini ordered a study be conducted of the fire department in an attempt to refute firefighter claims that the fire department was not being properly funded, equipped, and staffed. Tuesday night, CPSM presented their findings and here they are in line with what the Haverhill Firefighters Local 1011 have been saying about the Haverhill fire department; that the HFD… (see more)
The actions of a failed mayoral administration, afraid to work on an even playing field.
CPSM Haverhill Fire Department Study, Delayed Final Report Release & Initial Response
The actions of a failed mayoral administration, afraid to work on an even playing field.
Mayor Fiorentini not only lied to the city council and firefighters but to the citizens he works for. The mayor told the firefighters and the city council that we would be included in the Haverhill Fire Department study and review process. The mayor and his office hid the existence of every draft report he received from the rest of the city leadership, the citizens of Haverhill, and the firefighters this study impacts. The mayor received these initial documents at least 2 months ago, the city council only received a report as of yesterday, the firefighters have still not been given a report by the mayor.
The final draft date on this fire department study was 11 December 2022, we are still working out the details on when the earlier initial draft was received and still hidden by the mayor. Nonetheless, the firefighters got their first look at the study results today, 2/7/2023 more than 8 weeks later. This was done deliberately by Fiorentini.
The firefighters requested the draft study results from the mayor as soon as we knew we it was available early last week and the mayor refused to give Local 1011 Firefighters President Tim Carroll any version, despite past promises. Instead, Mayor Fiorentini gave the study and “summary” rhetoric to Mike LaBella to print, unchallenged. The mayor refusing to send the study of our fire department to the firefighters or city council prior to getting his version to the paper tells you everything you need to know about this administration. The mayor giving the Haverhill Fire Department study with his skewed “summary” rhetoric to Mike LaBella and The Eagle-Tribune printing anything prior talking to the firefighters tells you what you need to know about their publication. Unfortunately, it seems that the Tribune continues to facilitate and enable these unethical actions by a contentious mayor by not pursuing actual journalism. By not reaching out to the city council, or the firefighters about their thoughts on the study while at the same time only caring to receive and print the opinion of a person who has spent their career eroding the fire department forces us to call the paper’s motives into question.
This is a mayor who is afraid of dealing honestly, if this study was his honest pursuit of knowledge regarding Haverhill and our fire department, the firefighters and the city council would have and should have been involved in the process, they were not. Fiorentini purposefully cut everyone else out. The mayor delaying a much-needed staffing increase and calling for a study last year was designed from day 1 to undermine the firefighters and our safety concerns. There is an obvious bias here and you need to know that. Once we’ve had a chance to review the study results ourselves, we’ll let you know.
Faithfully,
Your Haverhill Firefighters Local 1011
Please see the attached statement below (same as above)
A statement from the Haverhill Firefighters Executive Board denouncing the actions of Mayor Fiorentini and the Eagle Tribune
The current effort to increase Haverhill’s dangerously low firefighter staffing levels has been ongoing since 2019. Since that time, staffing levels have not increased at all. In fact, the proposed 2023 City of Haverhill budget reduces the number of guaranteed on-duty firefighters by removing them from the 911 Call center and not increasing the per-firetruck staffing (better known as “minimum manning” or per-piece staffing). The current daily compliment of on-duty firefighters is a minimum of 21, though Mayor James Fiorentini’s proposal reduces that number to 20. Under the mayor’s proposed 2023 budget, Haverhill will lose 4 firefighter positions per week unless the Haverhill City Council stands for a TRUE STAFFING increase.
We endorse Colin LePage for #Haverhill‘s next Mayor, for Haverhill’s future.
Colin LePage represents some of the best that Haverhill has to offer. He is selfless, compassionate, hardworking, and principled. Colin has been an advocate for the ignored, a determined detective to uncover the hidden, a voice for the voiceless. With many years on the Haverhill City Council and serving his community in many other facets, Colin will continue to work to make Haverhill better for all as he takes the office of Mayor. He is an approachable leader and a friend of public safety, Colin has worked to improve staffing levels for the police, living conditions for the firefighters, and ensure we are on track for replacing aging equipment. Haverhill needs leadership and guidance, for the issues that need to be addressed and the needs that must be met. We need less talk and more action; we need a Mayor like Colin Lepage.
Colin has worked tirelessly over the past several years to be a keystone advocate for public safety issues facing the City of Haverhill. Colin was the boldest advocate for replacing two 33-year-old firetrucks, which were decades deficient against current safety standards. Colin and five other amicable city councilors worked towards replacing those apparatus for Haverhill, putting firefighter safety and the safety of the public as a priority. Colin has already identified millions of dollars hidden within the current administration’s budget. As the Committee to Elect Colin reminds us, “Colin LePage is ready to lead Haverhill into a better future. We need swifter decision-making on major issues and projects. We need greater government transparency for our taxpayers. We need a renewed emphasis on social equity, inclusion, and diversity. We need a mayor who will not allow opportunities to be wasted because of hesitation and indecision. Colin is ready to lead the way!”
For all of these reasons and more, we believe that Colin LePage should be Haverhill’s next Mayor for Haverhill’s future. On Tuesday, November 2, 2021, we ask you to support your Haverhill Firefighters and vote for Colin LePage for Mayor of Haverhill.
