Town officials on Tuesday cited the chief of the New Canaan Fire Department in connection with a number of incidents and problems.
During the Fire Commission’s regular meeting, Chief Albe Bassett was notified that he will be “written up for creating a reasonable perception of unequal treatment, as well as for manner of communication with a firefighter that was inappropriate,” according to Fire Commission Chair Robert Fields.
“You will post a public apology for the behavior and you will meet with [town Human Resources Director] Cheryl [Pickering Jones] regarding anti-harassment behavior training,” Fields said during the Commission’s regular meeting, held at Town Hall and via videoconference. “Additionally, because of the serious nature of Engine 4 being placed in service when it was not safe to be in service, we will set up a predisciplinary hearing regarding this issue… and lastly you will be written up for inappropriate use of insurance funds.”
Fields said that Bassett’s hearing regarding the vehicle violation will be held at 5 p.m. on Feb. 19.
The specifics of each issue cited by the Commission weren’t immediately clear. The appointed body met in executive session—out of the public eye, as allowed by state law—prior to Fields reading the disciplinary steps into the record. Fields and Commissioners Sven Englund and Michael Socci voted 3-0 in favor of the actions.
The Commission’s vote comes about two months after the local firefighters’ union took a vote of no confidence in the chief. In that, the union said that Bassett had committed an ethics violation, unduly influenced promotions and failed to address problems with equipment.
The town hired Bassett as assistant fire chief in August 2021. He had worked since 1992 for the fire department in Norwalk.
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