Southington FD Looks To Fill Long-Vacant Assistant Chief's Position

SOUTHINGTON, CT — Fire officials say the time is now to fill a long-vacant leadership position in the Southington Fire Department.

And in doing so, the Southington Board of Fire Commissioners agreed last week to put out an advertisement for the job with a salary higher than what's being proposed right now.

The Southington Board of Fire Commissioners said March 5 it wants to move forward with posting a long-vacant assistant chief position, while raising concerns about a lower salary figure proposed by Southington Town Manager Alex Ricciardone.

Fire Commissioner Chairman Edmund Costello told commissioners the position has remained unfilled for an extended period and said the job description and posting are ready after consultation with a labor attorney.

Costello also said the assistant chief will not be offered a formal contract.

Instead, the selected candidate would receive a written offer that must be signed by the candidate, the fire commission chairman, and the town manager.

Commissioners discussed a salary change proposed by Ricciardone that would set the assistant chief’s pay at $124,325, according to the town manager's submitted budget document.

According to Costello, the change was submitted to the Southington Board of Finance without prior discussion with the fire commission.

Members said the proposed amount is lower than what the board previously supported as part of the fiscal year 2026–27 budget approved Jan. 8.

Commissioner Kevin R. Daly said the reduced salary would narrow the gap between the deputy chief's and assistant chief's pay and could discourage applicants.

The deputy chief position, according to Ricciardone's budget, would earn $119,232, $5,093 less than the assistant chief.

Daly said the smaller difference “would limit interest” in the position and voiced support for maintaining the salary level approved in the commission’s budget vote earlier this year.

Commissioners also said the proposed salary could make the role less appealing to internal candidates and reduce the pool of external applicants.

All five commissioners — Costello, Daly, Timothy J. Wilk, Bernard R. Hogan, and David Kanute — agreed the job posting should move forward using the higher salary level included in the commission-approved budget, not the town manager's budget.

The board did not take a formal vote during the discussion but reached a consensus to proceed with posting the position.

Next steps include releasing the job posting and beginning the hiring process.

For the minutes of the March 5 Southington Board of Fire Commissioners meeting, click on this link.