Selectmen Approve Three New Additions to Fire Department Permanent Intermittent List

The Burlington Board of Selectmen approved three candidates at the recommendation of Chief for the department's Permanent Intermittent list during the meeting on Monday, Oct. 17. Being placed on the list allows the men to attend Fire Academy training and then be in line to fill vacancies in the department when necessary. 

Yetman said the fire department currently has one vacancy that needs to be filled and it is known that there will be a retirement of one firefighter this November and another next February.

"With pending retirements we anticipate vacancies in the near future," Yetman said in a letter to the board. "In order to avoid extended periods of short staffing and to expedite the selection process going forward I've asked you to establish a new Permanent Intermittent list."

Town Administrator Robert Mercier explained that it is important to have such a list with candidates on stand-by because the process of getting new firefighters into academy training is now more difficult and time-consuming than it was in the past.

"In the past, the fire or police chief could just call and say ‘give me three slots in the academy' and they would get them," Mercier said. "You can’t do that anymore because some towns used to put in ‘holding place’ names that were fake. So now, if we don't have candidates selected, we can't do anything."

Yetman added the department is doing what it can to expedite the process to avoid having long-term vacancies.

The three candidates approved during the meeting, who will attend the 12 week academy program as soon as possible are (information from Chief Yetman):

Kyle Brown: Currently serving in the U.S. Military and actually had interviews with Yetman and the others in the selection process over Skype. Brown is a member of the United States Air Force, currently in his second year. He is a certified emergency medical technician (EMT) and hold certifications as a Firefighter 1 and is at the Hazardous Materials Operations Level. Brown also has certifications and work experience with HVAC systems.

Eric Fitzgerald: Fitzgerald has been employed as an emergency medical technician (EMT) for the past four years. He has served on an emergency response ambulance for the last two years, working closely with local police and fire departments. Fitzgerald also has several years of carpentry experience.

Sean Killilea: Killilea has been working at his current place of employment for the past five years and his immediate supervisor states he is an excellent employee and asset to the company. Killilea has obtained an Associates Degree in Liberal Studies and is certified in CPR.

The three candidates were all interviewed and had background checks done by Chief Yetman, the Burlington Police Department, Human Resource Director Joanne Faust and representatives from Local 2313.