Sept. 15 -- NORWICH, CT -- Now that Chief Ken Scandariato has retired from the Norwich Fire Department, it will be up to the department's battalion chiefs to lead the city's firefighting efforts for the time being.
Scandariato stepped away Thursday, setting into motion a plan by City Manager John Salomone to have the fire department's four battalion chiefs each serve as acting chief on a two-week rotating basis until a new chief is hired.
Salomone said the rotation is not based on seniority, but rather, it will go in order through the battalion chiefs based on their platoon numbers — meaning Tracy Montoya is currently acting chief. He will be followed by Keith Wucik, Gregory Despathy and Scott Merchant.
Montoya has been with the Norwich Fire Department for 27 years, and as the first of the battalion chiefs to take the department's reins, he said he realizes he has big shoes to fill.
"It's a very tough act to follow," Montoya said. "But Chief Scand has been great at passing down information to myself and the other battalion chiefs to put us in the right direction."
Montoya took over as acting chief on Friday, and said he is still getting used to the new role, and its administrative functions.
"It's a much different feel," Montoya said. "When the bells go off, my first reaction is to jump into action. It's different moving an operational role to an administrative one."
Salomone said a new chief is unlikely to be identified within the eight-week rotation because the job description for Scandariato's permanent replacement still needs to be finalized and posted. Salomone said that means it is more likely the rotation of battalion chiefs will occur more than once.
"It's probably not going to be just one rotation," Salomone said. "We are finishing up the language of the job description, that should be done this week sometime."
Salomone said the next chief should have technical firefighting experience, and the ability to not only lead, but also have demonstrated the ability to coordinate with city officials and handle the department's administrative functions — budgeting, collective bargaining, employee relations and big-picture decision-making.
"It's one thing to fight a fire, but it's another to be able to look down at the department from 30,000 feet," Salomone said.
Salomone said he does not think it will be difficult to identify a suitable replacement, adding the city intends to look for candidates internally as well as externally. Scandariato was the first Norwich fire chief to be hired from outside the department.
"It's a well-run department and we will be offering a competitive salary," Salomone said.
Salomone said he hopes the new chief can pick up where Scandariato left off, citing his abilities as both a firefighter and administrator.
"[Chief Scandariato] was an excellent administrator and firefighter," Salomone said. "He was a very good organizer who paid close attention to detail, and who understood the budgeting process."
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