City to Start Search for 12 Firefighters

A dozen firefighters will be hired by the East Providence Fire Department. 

The East Providence Budget Commission approved on Thursday afternoon, June 27, the start of a recruitment process to fill 12 probationary positions.

“We’ve been understaffed and paying a lot of overtime,” said City Manager Peter Graczykowski. “We have to hire to reduce overtime.”

“Firefighters are required to work mandatory overtime outside of their normal overtime work schedule,” according to the memo to the budget commission from Fire Chief Oscar Elmasian. “The vacancies have required line personnel to work consecutive days without any time off." 

Elmasian said the hiring of the probationary firefighters will decrease the amount of this mandatory overtime. The new firefighters will not necessarily bring the number of “line personnel” up to the staff required in its five engine companies, two ladder companies and three rescue units.

Elmasian said the department faces another potential 48 vacancies down the road with retirements or service-connected disabilities. By the end of this fiscal year in the fall, he said in the memo to the budget board, there could be 15 vacancies.

The firefighters would be enrolled in the 16-week municipal firefighting school and then serve for at least a year with that probationary status.

The budget commission, which serves only to handle personnel issues in East Providence now, also approved requests for a junior accountant, a fire chief’s aide, and a building inspection clerk. 

It also approved the appointment of Eileen Crudele as Director of Pupil Personnel for the school department. 

Crudele is currently the director of special education for the Pawtucket schools – and the second administrator to follow Superintendent Kim Mercer to East Providence in the past several months.

“She’s the last one,” said Mercer, who expects Crudele to start in a couple of weeks after giving her notice in Pawtucket.

Mercer will be looking for a new principal for Hennessey Elementary School. She got an approval to post the position, being vacated by Principal David Britto, who is taking a leave of absence.