Feb. 15—A fire department veteran's claims that Manchester firefighters live out of state and improperly collect unearned bonus pay are "unfounded" and "inconclusive," according to city officials' recently completed investigation.
Richard McLaughlin, a Manchester fire lieutenant and 33-year veteran of the department, made the claims in a Jan. 10 email to Ward 8 Alderman Edward Sapienza. He later recanted those claims in a follow-up email to Mayor Joyce Craig, Assistant Fire Chief Ryan Cashin, Sapienza and others with the subject line "Mea Culpa," saying he painted the department with a "pretty broad brush" and has no proof to support his claims.
"I sent it in anger as I believed I was getting cheated out of money that I believe I had rightfully earned," McLaughlin wrote. "I made accusations I have no way of backing up and I never should have made them. I feel as if I started a war between the aldermen and fire department and that was never my intent."
In his original email, McLaughlin wrote he felt he was mistreated during a recent incident involving a coworker who contracted COVID-19. McLaughlin claimed that instead of getting workers' compensation for the incident — which took place on the job — he was made to stay home with time deducted from his sick leave bank.
In the same email, McLaughlin also claimed "multiple members" of the fire department live out of state and collect multiple-alarm pay each year for fires they don't respond to.
The annual pay for multiple-alarm fires — equal to 125% of a firefighter's "normal week's pay" — is meant to entice firefighters to show up for large fires while off-duty, according to a 2017 fact-finders report that endorsed the firefighters union's position.
McLaughlin also alleged some firefighters are operating city vehicles without proper commercial driver's licenses, "and in the event they were to cause a personal injury accident the city could be held liable."
McLaughlin's email was forwarded to the city's human resources department by Fire Chief Andre Parent, and security manager Kevin Kincaid began an investigation.
According to Human Resources Director Kathleen Ferguson, Kincaid concluded the allegations regarding multiple alarm pay were "unfounded."
"MFD provided documentation confirming valid reasons for excused absences regarding 3rd alarm pay," Ferguson wrote in a memo to city aldermen updating them on the investigation.