A Farewell To Fire Chief Rooney

Fire Chief Brian Rooney will receive a retirement sendoff Friday from noon to 2 p.m. at City Council Chambers. Rooney will leave city service after 44 years in the Fire Department, the last 10 years as chief. Bridgeport’s City Charter require the chiefs of police and fire serve no more than two five-year terms.

Mayor Joe Ganim is considering Assistant Fire Chief Richard Thode, a department veteran for more than 20 years, as a replacement in an acting capacity. Fire Department sources say the mayor and Thode are trying to come to terms on a compensation agreement.

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15 comments

  1. Thode has been an Assistant Chief for all of one month. He was put into this position for one reason, to be appointed Chief of the BFD. This reeks of impropriety and is an affront to all those black firefighters who have earned the right to be Chief and to the black community that played such an important and pivotal part in Joe Ganim being elected Mayor again.

    All you blacks who supported Joe, like Rev. Stallworth, Ralph Ford, Erie Newton and you poverty pimps on the City Council, why aren’t you outraged and appalled the Mayor would pass over blacks for this position? Shame on you kneegrows and shame on you Mayor Ganim.

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  2. Thank god the era of Fire Chief Brian Rooney is now over and for those who follow OIB you know only one person has defended Rooney and that’s Andrew Fardy. There are a lot of Bridgeport firefighters who read OIB and there are some who make comments most who don’t use their own name in posting whom I run into and none of them have said anything positive about Rooney.

    Don, those whom you mention all know what’s going on in the fire department because we have told them or they have read what we have said in the media. Will Joe Ganim address the issues in the fire department along with who will run the fire department in the short term and long term? Time will tell. I’m not hopeful, which means let’s go back to court for justice.

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  3. Instead of worrying about a compensation agreement for the new acting chief, the mayor should be worrying about when the test will be given for the permanent Fire Chief, as well as the tests for police chief and personnel director.

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    1. Phil, that’s like doing the right thing. The City is following in their same footsteps as before, they made Rooney an Acting Chief, then a provisional chief, then allowed him to retire and draw his pension and still serve the fire chief and they did the same thing with police chief Gaudett. I’m sure Ganim will do the same thing for Acting Police Chief Perez, now the next Acting Fire Chief. Get rid of David Dunn and give these exams. The City knew Rooney had to leave because of his contract but they have done nothing.

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  4. This is an affront to all that is decent and right. Manny Firpi was a captain before Thode, a Battalion Chief before Thode and was in the Assistant Chief position Thode currently holds for over a year prior to being removed about one month ago to prepare for his coronation as chief. I failed to mention Manny was born and raised in Bridgeport and still lives here.

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      1. Andy, I never said Manny was a good man, I merely said he was in that Assistant Chief’s position long before Thode and Thode was inserted into the position so they could say they were promoting an Assistant Chief.

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  5. Two PIGS, Rooney and Fardy!

    Rooney, Dunn and BFME = Thode.

    Ganim would have no clue who is an AC in the BFD, etc. He was in prison, so he was told who to make.

    When did Thode stop being a card-carrying member of BFME?

    Sorry, but Firpi drank the Koop-Aid along time ago, a convenient PR.

    Is Carfi on suicide watch? No FC job and no one to suck off!

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    1. You are without a DOUBT a coward posting under a fake name. What’s the matter, no balls just criticism? What’s your claim to fame, chicken shit?

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