Whooosh.........

The sound of Armondo Romans Jerri curl wig being blown away.

Quote:

So Healy is asking the dept. to "restructure" and Roman is saying "steps have been taken to restructure"....

So is this their way of admitting that Fulop was right all along about this?

Jersey City mayor wants two fire promotions rescinded, citing financial 'crisis,' but fire director is adamant they're needed

Wednesday, June 30, 2010
By MELISSA HAYES
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah T. Healy doused two internal promotions at the city's Fire Department yesterday, citing tough financial times.

Healy said he learned this week that two battalion chiefs were internally named acting deputy chiefs. While no formal promotions took place, the move amounts to over $40,000 a year in salary increases because the men are paid at the higher rate.

Healy said in the past the Fire Department has been allowed to fill vacancies internally by placing people in an acting capacity, but times have changed.

"It's not allowed now because of the fiscal crisis that we're facing and every other city is facing," Healy said. "We have the ability to ask them to rescind it, and that's what we did."

Battalion Chief Gregory Lallo and Battalion Chief Wayne McCarthy, president of the fire supervisor's union, were promoted last Monday.

Healy said he learned of the promotions this week and quickly notified the department of his wish to rescind them.

But Fire Director Armando Roman said the department has to do something to fill vacancies created by retirements.

"Contractually you need to pay the overtime or put somebody in the acting position," Roman said.

The city has five deputy chiefs, 22 battalion chiefs, 127 captains and 367 firefighters, but will lose 15 people - two deputy chiefs, one battalion chief and captains and firefighters - to retirements tomorrow.

"We've lost a lot of experience," Roman said.

Last year, the department had 12 deputy chiefs, which Roman said allowed him to put experienced leadership in other positions. Lallo, for example, is in charge of transitioning the department's communications system to the city's new emergency communications center.

However, with the retirements, Roman said he had to put Lallo back on the line to supervise firefighters.

The department is split into four groups with a deputy chief assigned to each one and a fifth deputy chief serving as the department-wide chief of operations.

"These are essential emergency response positions," Roman said, adding he plans to speak with the mayor.

But Healy said he is asking the department to restructure.

Roman said steps have been taken to restructure certain areas, but said he needs five deputy chiefs.

Healy promoted five captains to the rank of battalion chief in May after Roman argued his case. The department has lost about 100 members to retirements in the last year, including 20 percent of its ranking members, Roman said.