PROVIDENCE, R.I. — The city of Providence has not had a permanent fire chief for over two years, according to officials.
WPRI reported that over two dozen people have applied for the job, but the city is still without a chief.
Public Safety Commissioner Steven Pare said the city has offered the job to “a few” people, but no one has been hired. Pare said there are finalists for the job but was unclear when someone would be hired.
“As I’ve given a public date in the past and it didn’t come to fruition, I cannot pinpoint a start date at this time,” Pare said in an email. “Working to find the right fire chief expeditiously.”
Pare said around 30 people have applied, but Providence has been without a fire chief since July 2016. The last chief, Clarence Cunha, retired when he reached the city’s mandatory age of 60.
Cunha’s retirement happened shortly after Mayor Jorge Elorza made plans to turn the department’s four platoons into three to save money. The switch failed and caused mass retirements that led to callback overtime amounts increasing. Elorza moved the department back to four platoons in exchange for a minimum manning reduction.
Union president Paul Doughty said the switch back has improved morale. He also said two veteran firefighters have taken over the “heavy lifting” in the department.
“We still need a chief, but they’ve made it better,” Doughty said.