Board May Try To Rescind Poquonnock Bridge Fire District Contract

The Poquonnock Bridge Fire District’s board of directors meets tonight, and may try to rescind a recently approved union contract that gives annual raises of 3 percent to firefighters for the next 10 years.

Groton that provide fire protection and emergency services to the residents of the districts they cover. Poquonnock Bridge is the largest of the nine, and charges a tax rate of 5.9 mills to residents, the highest of the nine.

Alan Ackley, who was voted off the board in May and then returned in August, said at the time that taxes in the district are out of line with other subdivisons.

A district meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. today at the Poquonnock Bridge Fire Station on Fort Hill Road. Agenda items include "a vote to rescind approval of the labor agreement" and all action taken at the July meeting, including cost of living increases for retired firefighters.

The contract, approved by a 2-1 vote in July, also includes these highlights:

• Adds the retirement plan to the contract and provides a 3 percent cost of living increase for retirees each year, for life.

• Names the fire inspector to the job of deputy fire marshal, with an annual salary of about $66,913, up from about $63.964. Provides the deputy with a car he may take home and guarantees promotion to the fire marshal’s job when that position is vacated.

• Increases minimum staffing from five to six firefighters on duty at any given time.

• Increases the number of firefighters that can take vacation at any given time from two to three.

• Adds four lieutenants so that there is one on every shift, at an annual salary of about $65,586. The positions could be filled through promotions at a lesser cost.

Chris Clark, president of the board for Poquonnock Bridge, said he believes the contract is reasonable.

“It’s not that different from what they’ve had in the past,” he said. “It might be portrayed differently, but not it’s not.”

He said firefighters received pay increases of 3 percent annually in the last contract, and one year received 4 percent increases. He said the department has firefighters who retired 25 years ago and are still collecting the same pension. He added that lieutenants are needed because the district has one captain supervising two stations.

Poquonnock Bridge is Groton’s only full career fire department, and has a chief, deputy chief and two clerical staff not represented by the union. The remaining personnel, including the fire marshal, deputy fire marshal or fire inspector, four captains and 26 firefighters are covered by the contract.

The fire district is governed by a board of directors, which has been in turmoil in recent months.

During the board's annual meeting in May, the board had five members and one vacant seat. Three people - including Clark, a union firefighter in Waterford, Kevin Czapla, a member of the Old Mystic Fire Department, and Thomas Wimler, who works in emergency services elsewhere - ran for posts and ousted two of the longtime members, including businessman Alan Ackley.

Then people who felt the board had become to union-friendly petitioned to have the board increased from five members to nine, and a battle for control began.

On Aug. 1, the district voted to increase the board to nine members, and elected Alan Ackley back on, and three other members: his cousin, Randy Ackley, former board member Peter Legnos and Ron Yuhas.

Board Member Nancy Beckwith, who voted against the firefighters contract, also filed a complaint with the state Freedom of Information Commission, saying the board's meeting to approve the contract was not handled legally.

Thomas Hennick, spokesman for the Freedom of Information Commission, said Beckwith filed the compliant on Aug. 24, saying the board held a special meeting on July 26, voted on two items that were not on the agenda, and asked the commission to declare those votes null and void.

Hennick said the commission will first decide whether it has jurisdiction over the matter. That decision will take about a month due to the volume of complaints the commission receives, he said.

If the commission decides it has jurisdiction, it would appoint a mediator to try to settle the matter, then take it to a hearing if it is not resolved, he said.

Groton that provide fire protection and emergency services to the residents of the districts they cover. Poquonnock Bridge is the largest of the nine, serves an area of about 12 square miles and is a career fire department, so it has paid staff rather than volunteers.

The department's current operating budget is just over $4.6 million.