Finizio Joins Call For Inquiry Into State Fire Academy

Mayor Daryl Finizio has joined the call for a state inquiry into the practices of the Connecticut Fire Academy after attending a forum hosted by the New London Branch of the NAACP on Tuesday.

“When local municipalities make decisions on the retention of fire department recruits, we must rely on information provided to us by the Fire Academy,” Finizio said in a press release. “In the decision reached by the administration not to retain recruit Alfred Mayo, the city of New London relied heavily on data provided by the Fire Academy. At last night’s NAACP forum, I was disturbed to hear numerous former academy recruits explain irregularities at the academy.”

Finizio said he supports Rep. Ernest Hewett's recommendation at the forum that a state inquiry be conducted into the academy's practices and procedures.

The forum was called to discuss concerns about racial matters in the city. Mayo, who was hired as a recruit by the New London Fire Department, went through training at the academy but was terminated two days before its conclusion. Mayo and the NAACP have argued that he was fired for minor infractions, such as the accusation that he wrote the academy class's name in cement, despite having satisfactory test scores. New London has not had an black firefighter since 1978.

According to The Day, two black firefighters from New London said they joined fire departments outside the city after difficulties in their attempts to join the New London Fire Department proved fruitless.

Finizio previously said that he upheld the termination after consulting with Fire Chief Ron Samul, Personnel Coordinator Bernadette Welch, Chief Administrative Officer Jane Glover, and City Council President Pro Tempore Wade Hsylop. He said he also asked to review the test scores, personnel files, the racial makeup of the class and instructors at the state fire academy, and comparisons for individuals sent to the academy from New London from the past decade. At that time, Finizio said the decision to uphold Mayo's termination was made based on “low test scores and other problems in his personnel file.”

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