'I am appalled at the actions of the new fire chief,' says old fire chief

The former chief of fire services in Sault Ste. Marie is taking exception to the the new fire chief’s plan to do away with a list of new hires, potentially closing the door to locals looking to enter the field.

“I am appalled by the actions of the new fire chief,” said Marcel Provenzano, former chief of Sault Ste. Marie Fire Services when reached for comment Monday.

The list of prospective new hires was created in 2011 in co-operation with senior members of the City of Sault Ste. Marie, including former CAO Joe Fratesi.

Prospective hires will now be required to complete training in southern Ontario before being considered for a position and the current hire list will be scrapped, a decision made my recently-hired Fire Chief Mike Figliola.

Provenzano said the candidates on the hire list were hand-picked with training specific to conditions in the Sault.

Locally-trained firefighters practice situations specific to our environment, such as a focus on swift-water rescue because of our proximity to the St. Marys River rapids.

He concedes firefighters receiving the additional certification might receive similar training but would put any candidate from the list against someone trained in southern Ontario.

“We like the home-grown product. If you go to the model Mr. Figliola is suggesting, we pull from a central pool,” he said.

Some prospective hires have taken on volunteer firefighter roles in surrounding communities, such as Prince or Aweres Townships, said Provenzano and all of the candidates participate in charitable work through the Sault Ste. Marie Professional Fire Fighters Association (SSMPFFA).

“The guys on the list are more than qualified to take on any position in the fire services fire suppression division as they become available,” said Provenzano.

Without the hire list, Provenzano fears losing excellent candidates to jobs in other communities.

“I am a huge believer if we have the home-grown product here, let's try and retain some of our youth in Sault Ste. Marie. Why wouldn’t we do that?” he said.

Most troubling to Provenzano is the fact he gave candidates his word they would eventually be hired.

“I made a promise to these individuals that they would one day become members of the Sault Ste. Marie Fire Services organization, subject to a further assessment prior to being employed by the organization,” he said.

SooToday made repeated attempts throughout the day to seek comment from current Fire Chief Mike Figliola. Although he acknowledged he received the voicemails, he declined the opportunity to comment.

Marty Kenopic, president of SSMPFFA, said many candidates have stayed in the Sault for years, despite job opportunities in other communities.

“They have been promised a job, they had made sacrifices because of the promise, were intent to get a job in Sault Ste. Marie and the carpet was pulled out from underneath them,” said Kenopic.

The new accrediation is offered through Fire and Emergency Services Institute, who have recommended community shortlists be exhausted before adopting accreditation, said Kenopic.

"This is not the case in Sault Ste. Marie.”

With five recent retirements within the organization, Provenzano fears property and lives will be put at risk, both in the public and within the ranks of the organization.

“We are running short, that puts the city in a vulnerable position,” he said.

Provenzano added there may be a ripple effect if the service does not account for the staffing shortfall, as the city is overdue for an assessment by the Fire Underwriter’s Survey, who work on behalf of insurance companies to determine premiums.

 “You can reduce staffing levels, you don’t have to replace these five guys but the implications on the community are quite serious in that your insurance ranking will spike,” he said.

He is not against the new chief changing the process, but wants to see the list honoured first.

“I’m all about change, I’m all about improving the process, but you have to bring people in to do studies, to do reports. You have to make objective assessments,” he said.

If the process is to change, he would like to see it implemented after the current hire list is honoured.

Provenzano also doesn’t believe the new chief has the power to change the process on his own. 

“The fire chief can certainly make recommendations, any major change of service delivery to a community needs the endorsement of council. It also need the endorsement of Fire Marshall’s office,” he said.

Prior to retirement, Provenzano completed a succession plan and he figures an additional three senior-level firefighters are eligible for retirement over and above the five who have recently retired.

The service announced three promotions within the organization today, replacing senior positions recently left vacant by retirees, Platoon Chief Stan Martynuck and Captains Steve Quesnele and Frank Mancuso.

This story will be updated with comment from Figliola should SooToday receive comment from him.

(PHOTO L-R: Platoon Chief Terry Dubois speaks with Chief Mike Figliola duirng a retirement party held May 27, 2015 at Fire Station No. 4 on Old Garden River Road. Kenneth Armstrong/SooToday)