Dalton Fire Department in Search of Interim, Permanent Chief
DALTON, Mass. — The leadership of the Fire Department is up in the air after the firing of one chief, the retirement of another and the pending departure of a third.
All within a month.
Board of Water Commissioners Chair James Driscoll said interim Chief Chris Cachat decided to step down last week following grumblings from firefighters questioning his effectiveness in the position.
For his part, Cachat said he was retiring at the age of 66. At this age he'll be past the age limit for a firefighter.
These conversations came after an unannounced executive session Monday night that Driscoll described as being "accidentally" called. A number of firefighters attended the closed meeting.
Driscoll said the commission offered Cachat the position on Monday of last week but that he decided to not accept the district's offer after reviewing it for 24 hours. Cachat, as assistant chief, had stepped into the post in mid-May after James Peltier was placed on administrative leave and then fired.
Cachat said he turned down the post because it would require him to work into his 70s.
"I've been in there for 40 years and I'm going to be 66 at the end of this month. And it's just time to step back and let the next generation come in," he said.
He also pointed out that state law requires firefighters to retire at age 65 unless they have a waiver.
Cachat is leaving the department but will remain in his current position at Mirabito Energy Products.
Corey Wilcox, a captain in the department, had collaborated with Cachat. He took over day-to-day operations while Cachat handled overall chief duties, Driscoll said.
Now Wilcox will be acting chief until another candidate can be found but is leaving soon to join the Pittsfield Fire Department.
"We're in the process of looking for an interim chief to run the department until we can start a new search committee, collect resumes, start the process of interviews, and hiring a full time chief," Driscoll said. "Hopefully we'll be able to get something going this week."
It is unclear how long the search will take but the commission has a list of qualified candidates recommended by county fire departments.
Driscoll said firefighters asked if they could have representation on the review committee. The commission said it would consider that.
iBerkshires received an email with allegations of misconduct in the department purportedly sent with the consent of a number of firefighters. It described "unprofessional" and at times unsafe behavior and a lack of leadership following Peltier's tenure as chief.
Driscoll confirmed at least one alleged incident -- that firefighters were shooting "firecrackers" at each other in the bathroom. He said a group of individuals were disciplined but not what that entailed. Cachat said he'd heard rumors about the incident.
Driscoll said he is unaware of the other accusations but will be looking into them.
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