Sylvan Lebrun, Contributing Photographer

After Fire Chief John Alston was unanimously reappointed by the Board of Alders on Monday night, a group of a dozen firefighters standing along the back wall left the chamber, talking amongst themselves. 

Meanwhile, uniformed chiefs sitting with Alston remained — reflecting a divide between the final vote and rank-and-file firefighter concerns with Alston’s reappointment. 

Alston has served five years in the New Haven Fire Department, weathering both the COVID-19 pandemic and a series of deaths of local firefighters. Nevertheless, Mayor Elicker’s request for Alston’s reappointment in January has proved controversial. At an Aldermanic Affairs Committee hearing last Monday, many praised the chief for his leadership and dedication to diversity. However, complaints about low staff morale, out-of-service fire hydrants and a lack of support for grieving firefighters rose to the forefront — particularly from executive members of the firefighter’s union Local 825. 

Despite union objections, no alders dissented to Alston’s reappointment during the final vote on Monday. About two dozen firefighters were present at City Hall to watch the result, lining up against the back wall and sitting next to Alston in uniform. 

“Is there work to be done? Yes, there is always work to be done to improve ourselves and our workplaces,” Ward 10 Alder Anna Festa said. “This is where we all have to come together and hold each other accountable, making sure that the priority of saving the lives of our residents and their safety is number one… if the unanimous vote goes through for reappointing Chief Alston, we will have four years to do that.” 

Festa added that going forward, the Board of Alders and the fire department will need to work together to address issues raised by firefighters in opposition to Alston’s reappointment. “Together we can achieve so much,” she said, concluding her remarks. 

All three alder speeches at Monday’s meeting emphasized the need for the Board of Alders to work with the fire department to address concerns with Alston’s reappointment. 

“Safety can’t be a line item on the budget, it can’t be a conversation off in their future, it has to be something that is front and center,” Ward 28 alder Shafiq Abdussabur noted in his speech. “I pledged my services when I took [the oath of office] to make sure that we follow up on the issues and concerns of these firefighters, and that we support this chief, so that we can have a successful fire department.”

Ward 4 Alder Evelyn Rodriguez also shared that the new city Chief Administrative Officer Regina Rush-Kittle has made a commitment to work with Alston. Furthermore, according to Ward 1 Alder Alex Guzhnay ’24, the Board of Alders is hoping to strengthen the Employment Assistance Program’s mental health support for firefighters.

Chief James O’Brien from the West Haven Fire Department told the News that he had come to the meeting for “moral support,” adding that Alston “does a great job” in their work together. 

Despite aldermanic promises to address union concerns, questions still persist.

At the Aldermanic Affairs Committee’s virtual reappointment hearing last Monday, Alston was given a chance to make a statement about his tenure as fire chief and answer alder questions. Next, 23 firefighters and city officials gave testimony regarding his reappointment, divided almost exactly evenly between support and opposition — a display of the strong opinions on both sides. 

In his opening remarks, Alston presented the committee with a list of the accomplishments of his five years at the helm of the NHFD, including the introduction of a new paramedic unit, revamps of the training process and the implementation of new technology such as drones and apps tracking broken fire hydrants. He also focused on his department’s comprehensive response to the COVID-19 pandemic, during which they “never missed a single call.” 

Further, Alston discussed his commitment to furthering diversity in the fire department through changes in traditional recruitment and hiring practices. He said that he had worked to address “years of nepotism, favoritism and cronyism,” stating that he had been hired in 2016 to “change the culture of the department.” 

Rev. Steven Cousin, chairman of the Board of Fire Commissioners, echoed the sentiment, praising Alston for hiring three classes in the last five years, of which 70 percent were people of color or women. 

“I’m overwhelmed in terms of the negative response that we’re getting from some of the members of the fire department,” firefighter Miguel Pittman said. “He has an open-door policy, and I’ve never heard of that policy given from a chief in the fire department. I’ve been in New Haven for 59 years, and this particular chief is phenomenal and in the sense that not only does he interact with the public, but also he has that experience and his resume is impeccable.” 

Alston himself also acknowledged the backlash he had received from Local 825, but urged the alders to recognize his dedication to the department and the New Haven community amid “tragic loss.” 

Firefighters testifying against Alston focused on the low morale in the department under his tenure. Many accused him of failing in his responsibility to provide support to grieving firefighters after the tragic deaths of two of their colleagues in 2021 — one in the line of duty. 

NHFD’s Captain Gerard Bellamy, who is on the executive board of Local 825, said that there are a lot of firefighters who are “hurt,” and that he wished he had seen the chief “reach out and make sure that the members are good all the time.” 

Bellamy cited the recent union poll — in which 128 firefighters voted against Alston’s reinstatement compared to 31 in favor — as evidence that the members are “dissatisfied.”

Other complaints raised by firefighters included malfunctioning or expiring equipment, as well as the over 100 out-of-service fire hydrants across the city, which they saw as a threat to public safety and evidence of a decline in the department’s quality standards.   

“The morale has never been this bad,” firefighter Scotte Pullen said. “There’s been a lot of bullying tactics…and I’ve never seen the department, the apparatuses, the firehouse, in such disrepair.”

After Alston’s reappointment was confirmed, he gave a brief statement to the press in which he emphasized that this was “not a night for celebration.”

The opposition of even one firefighter to his reappointment, Alston said, would be an issue to him. He shared that he hopes to continue to work “tirelessly” to address the concerns raised by members of his department and the union.

“I greatly thank [the alders] for their confidence in me,” Alston said. “There has been support for me and there are those who don’t support me as the chief. I understand that, after 37 years in this business. I want the firefighters to know, those that spoke up, I heard them.”

John Alston was sworn in as New Haven’s fire chief in December 2016.