It's Final Day for 'Bitter' Fire Chief

An acting fire chief in East Providence will be appointed by Dec. 30 to fill the post being vacated by Fire Chief Joseph Klucznik because of unknown changes he said are being made to his employment contract.

City Manager Peter Graczykowski said on Thursday in an email: “The city is in the process of selecting an individual to head the department on a caring basis until the decision is made to fill the post on a permanent basis.”

He did elaborate on the process.

Klucznik said he anticipates a battalion chief or someone else in the fire department’s leadership will be selected. Or maybe a public safety commissioner will be named to oversee the police and fire departments, he said.

But Klucznik has not been consulted and does not expect to be involved in the process to fill his position. 

“There is no second in command,” Klucznik said. “I’ve been doing it all, even when I’m on vacation or I take a day off.”

The fire chief said he does not even have a full-time secretary anymore. Most of those administrative duties were being handled by himself during the 12-hour days he has been working.

Klucznik said he is retiring with a rather bitter taste in his mouth. He repeated on Thursday that possible changes to his $96,240 a year salary, pension and medical coverage were forcing him to make a decision to stay or move on. 

But there have been no negotiations or talks about his contract since it expired several months ago, he said. Klucznik said he doesn’t know where things stand now because he can’t seem to get an answer from anyone.

“I went up to City Hall today, and I couldn’t find any of the four people I wanted to talk to,” he said. 

Graczykowski said only in an email that: “The city's position is that Chief Klucznik's retirement notice was received and accepted.”

Klucznik said the city manager did not want to accept his resignation when he submitted it to him on Dec. 18. But he refused to change his mind given the unknown situation revolving around his employment contract. 

“I had to make a decision,” he said. “For the first time in my life, I’m putting my family first.”

And in hindsight, he said, the decision he made six years ago to become fire chief might have been the worst decision he ever made as a firefighter. 

“I love being a firefighter,” he said. “I feel like I lost six years (as chief) and I will lose eight more.” 

Klucznik turns 52 next year; he said could have worked to age 60 as a firefighter under terms of the union contract.

Klucznik said he hasn’t dislike pushing paper around or handling budgets or doing all the other duties required of him as chief. But he is a firefighter at heart, he said.

“I don’t want to be bitter,” Klucznik said. “But I am.”

Klucznik’s departure comes at a time when two fire stations are about to be renovated and the city is getting a new training facility. His last day on the job is today, Dec. 28.