Mass. city may hire neighboring laid off firefighters

Haverhill plans to hire four of the 23 firefighters that were laid off in Lawrence

July 15, 2010 05:43 AM

The Lowell Sun

HAVERHILL, Mass. — Some of the 23 firefighters laid off in Lawrence last week could land jobs in nearby Haverhill.

Haverhill Mayor James Fiorentini says he plans to hire four firefighters by Sept. 1, and he would love to give those jobs to the Lawrence firefighters, especially if they are women.

Haverhill has never had a female firefighter and several city officials have been pressing the department to hire women. Two of the Lawrence firefighters who lost their jobs are women.

Fiorentini tells The Eagle-Tribune that he’ll ask the state civil service commission if he can use a gender specific or a city specific list to hire from. He says some of the former Lawrence firefighters already live in Haverhill.