Central Coventry Fire Chief Resigns Amid "Toxic Political Environment"

The interim chief of the Central Coventry Fire District announced Tuesday that he is resigning his position effective Sept. 30, citing a “toxic political environment that continues to impede the delivery of emergency services.”

In a letter to the members of the fire district’s board of directors, Shawn Murray said that a clear and sustainable roadmap to help the district emerge from bankruptcy with a solid future has been “lost in the contentions political environment.”

Murray, who was appointed interim fire chief by the receiver in charge of the bankrupt district on Jan. 5, said that the the board of directors “must step up,” demonstrate leadership and find professionals to help them prevent the district from going down in flames.

Murray’s resignation comes on the heels of the state walking away from the district’s bankruptcy proceedings for similar reasons last week.

In a Chapter 9 bankruptcy termination filing last week, state officials who swooped in to fix the cash-strapped fire district’s problems said that despite millions in union concessions and a clear path to solvency, a small but concentrated pocket of political energy focused on busting the union stood in the way.

Murray, in his letter, said that despite alarm bells about the cost of fire service and other problems with the town’s fire districts in general, CCFD is actually on strong footing. There’s a $1.9 million fund balance, the aforementioned $13.3 million in savings over five years through concessions and what had been a sense that firefighter morale was turning the corner, despite the fervent political winds.

The bankruptcy plan was a sensible way out of financial quicksand, Murray said, but even with a potential solution, politicians are purposely blocking progress.

Adding to the problem is a lack of political will by the Coventry Town Council, which so far has not shown any leadership in dealing with fire district problems despite the town’s underlying responsibility to provide fire services to all residents.

“The viability of the Central Coventry Fire District is blinded by the politics played out daily and has created an imminent public safety crisis,” Murray said. “Despite my best efforts, professional and ethically, I cannot continue to work in a hostile and negative environment and attempt to salvage this potentially viable organization.”

“This situation has created significant personnel morale issues, will result in a loss of highly trained fire and EMS personnel, disruption of services to the district, and a domino effect that will hinder the other fire districts in Coventry.”

Murray’s summary is similar to that of Mark Pfieffer, the receiver, who filed a motion to terminate the bankruptcy proceeding last week.

In Pfieffer’s summary filed in court, he noted how Rep. Patricial Morgan, who is the driving force behind much of the anti-union efforts in Coventry, filed her own plan in bankruptcy court which “is not permitted under the bankruptcy code” that calls for volunteer firefighters and outsourced rescue service.

In addition, the vice-chairwoman of the board posted help wanted ads for $15 per hour EMTs to “test the waters” in case rescue service was outsourced. Pfieffer noted the job postings led to an injunction against the board.

The toxic climate makes it “difficult to imagine how these constituencies will be able to set aside their differences once the receivership is terminated and control of the district is returned to the board,” Pfieffer wrote.

The President of the International Association of Firefighters Local 3372, David Gorman, said that the town has already lost 29 firefighters and medics in just two years. And as the issues in CCFD are coming to a head, firefighters in the Coventry Fire District, also known as the Anthony Fire District, have not been paid in weeks and today learned that the Rhode Island Municipal Employee Retirement System will not process new retirement requests because of the bankruptcy dismissal.

For many Coventry residents who just want to feel safe when they go to bed at night, the ongoing fire district woes have them fuming.