Haverhill’s police chief also oversees fire department

Haverhill’s police chief is now overseeing the city’s fire department, following City Council approval of Mayor James Fiorentini’s proposal to create the position of public safety commissioner.

The move grew out of what Fiorentini described as “intractable” administrative problems in the fire department. Police Chief Alan DeNaro, who also has training as a firefighter, began advising the mayor earlier this year on hiring and administrative decisions in the fire department. A proposal approved by the City Council on Oct. 4 appointed DeNaro as public safety commissioner for a one-year trial period.

Fiorentini said that while DeNaro will not supervise firefighting operations, he will be responsible for overseeing the fire department’s maintenance and inspections, a role that should help the city save money.

“The problems in the fire department gave us the public support to do this,” Fiorentini said. “But it was a good idea to do on its merits.”

Fiorentini said he hopes the public safety commissioner will help the city save money by consolidating its dispatch functions. He cited the example of Mendon, where Ernest Horn has served as both fire chief and police chief for nearly seven years. Since 2009, Mendon has operated a dispatch center that also serves Hopedale and Millville.

In creating the plan for a public safety commissioner, Fiorentini consulted Beverly Mayor William Scanlon, where a similar arrangement was in place for a limited time roughly a decade ago.

Scanlon said that when the plan in Beverly was implemented, he appointed the fire chief to the commissioner role, because he had more faith in the fire chief than he did in the police chief. He said the arrangement ended during a two-year period in which Scanlon was out of office.

“In medium-sized communities, there can be an opportunity to have a commissioner of public safety,” Scanlon said. “I think it has the potential to lower … costs.”

In North Adams, a public safety commissioner, John Morocco, oversees both the police and fire department, which are housed in the same building. Two department heads have the titles of “police director” and “fire director,” rather than police chief and fire chief. The city’s building inspector, health inspector and animal control officer also report to Morocco.

In Lancaster, Police Chief Kevin Lamb is serving as the acting fire chief, an arrangement expected to last at least until the end of the fiscal year, according to Town Administrator Orlando Pachecho.

Pachecho said Lamb’s role as acting fire chief is helping to buy time for potential internal candidates to receive the training that the position requires.

“You have to take the opportunity to experiment when you have the chance,” Pachecho said. “This has been a very positive experience for our town.”