Worcester Pushes For Safety Review Of Fire Department
WORCESTER (CBS) - There's a new push in Worcester to make an inherently dangerous profession a bit safer. A consultant will soon be brought in to take a closer look at the city's fire department.
The action follows the death of Worcester Fire Lt. Jason Menard, who was killed in a house fire this past November. Lt. Menard was the ninth Worcester firefighter in the past 20 years to die in the line of duty. City Manager Ed Augustus says the consultant will examine a number of factors. "Staffing levels, training, equipment," Augustus said. "Do we have fire stations at the right locations for response times as the city continues to grow?"
The Fire Chief and the firefighter union are both on board as well. "We're hoping they can come in and take an external look at what we're doing and compare it to national standards and best practices and see if we're missing something," said Chief Michael Lavoie.
Union President Michael Papagni has a similar take saying, "The Manager, the Chief, and the Union all share a common goal. That we don't have any additional loss of firefighter lives."
Once a consultant is selected, it's estimated the study will take between six and eight months to complete.