Mass. firefighters say mayor forbid grant applications

By Jill Harmacinski
The Eagle-Tribune

LAWRENCE, Mass. — In a move they describe as a "slap in the face," city firefighters say Mayor Daniel Rivera barred their department from applying for state grant money earmarked for public safety needs in Lawrence and nine similar communities.

Flanked by state legislators and police officers, Rivera announced Monday that the Lawrence Police Department received $1,005,284 from a public safety staffing grant issued by the state's Executive Office of Public Safety and Security.

Capt. Eric Zahn, president of Local Fire Union 146, said firefighters were told not to apply for funding in that grant program.

"It's a slap in our face," Zahn said Tuesday. "Our chief was specifically told by the mayor not to apply for the funding."

Zahn said he was not maligning police by speaking out about the grant award.

"We emphasize we are happy police got the money, but I think it's shameful we were not included in something that could have turned our department around," Zahn said.

At the least, grant money could have been sought to cover $250,000 cut from the department's overtime budget this year, he said. Staffing levels and equipment needs also remain in the Fire Department which has an annual budget just under $12 million.

Reached for comment Tuesday, Rivera pointed to six murders that occurred in the city this year. The majority of the crimes happened last summer.

"We have a public safety problem and we are going to make Lawrence better," Rivera said.

Additionally, Rivera said he is not "pitting the Police Department against the Fire Department."

The public safety staffing grant has always been a grant program aimed at policing needs. However, this year some cities were considered in this grant program due to widespread firefighting staffing cuts. That has not been an issue in Lawrence, Rivera said.

Brockton, Fall River, Framingham, Haverhill, Lowell, Lynn, Malden, Newton and Somerville were allowed to apply for the $4 million in grant funding.

"It's unfortunate that they see it as police got something they didn't. I'm not going to fight with them about this grant. It was never really a firefighting grant. This is a police staffing grant," Rivera said.

In early November, Zahn sent a letter to the City Council telling them the Fire Department had been shut out of the grant program.

He told them Rivera had spoken to him about the city homicides and that "he wanted to focus the 'lion's share' of the grant money toward the police department," according to letter.

Zahn, however, informed Rivera the Fire Department responded to 26 multiple-alarm fires just last summer.

"This was not only 'a rash' of incidents, but this type of activity easily put us as one of the busiest fire departments in the United States during that time. Even still, the Mayor remained adamant that the money was not needed in the fire department and should solely be used for police," Zahn wrote.

"I recognize that the needs of the police department are great; they can use all the help they can get. Nonetheless, the fire department could use this money as well ... To turn your back on obvious problems that the fire department is facing is just plain ignorant," Zahn added.

Only one city councilor — Marc Laplante, who respresents District F in South Lawrence —  responded to the fire union's letter, Zahn said.

Yet, Rivera, stressing firefighting needs have not been ignored, said the Fire Department is getting 83 percent of $2.5 million the city plans to borrow in early 2105.

Some $1.2 million is being sought for a new Snorkel tower truck and another $869,000 will be set aside to upgrade conditions and make repairs at city firehouses. Under the plan, which city councilors will vote on Jan. 13, $431,000 will be spent on 12 new police vehicles, Rivera said.

"We are not forgetting about them," Rivera said of firefighters.

In addition to the public safety staffing grant, Lawrence police also received $327,680 in Shannon Community Initiative grant fundsm, which specifically targets at-risk youth.

Police plan to use the influx of grant money to retain 10 recently hired police officers, reduce noise problems, increase walking patrols and create neighborhood alliances, said acting Police Chief James Fitzpatrick.

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