Ethics Investigation Leads to New Canaan, CT, Fire Chief Being Suspended

A probe found that New Canaan's fire chief was involved in the promotional exam business the department used and did not disclose his involvement.

By Richard Chumney

Source The Hour, Norwalk, Conn.

Nov. 26, 2025

4 min read

An ethics investigation was launched in August after the union that represents local firefighters filed a grievance alleging that the New Canaan fire chief's business was directly profiting from the department's promotional process.

Nov. 25—NEW CANAAN — Fire Chief Albert Bassett was suspended after an ethics investigation found he failed to disclose that he co-owns a business some local firefighters used to prepare for promotional exams, town records show.

The probe also concluded that Bassett failed to fully recuse himself from promotion decisions, but found no evidence he skewed test results or rewarded firefighters for paying his company, according to an investigative report.

"Chief Bassett's failure to disclose his financial interest and recuse himself from the examination process constitutes a violation of the Ethics Code," attorneys from the law firm Berchem Moses, which was hired to investigate the issue, wrote in the report.

The findings prompted the New Canaan Fire Commission, which oversees the New Canaan Fire Department, to vote earlier this month to suspend Bassett for five days. The unpaid suspension began on Nov. 17.

In an interview, Bassett said he regrets failing to notify the town about his involvement in the business. He said the company will continue to operate, but no longer offer classes to New Canaan firefighters.

"It's definitely not a money maker," said Bassett, a former Norwalk firefighter who was named New Canaan's interim fire chief in 2021 before being elevated to the full-time position. "It's all really to help people. That's all it is."

The ethics investigation was launched in August after the union that represents local firefighters filed a grievance alleging Bassett's company, Promotional Opportunities LLC, was directly profiting from the department's promotional process.

The private business, which Bassett co-owns with Norwalk Deputy Fire Chief Roy Gagne, provides "preparatory services" for firefighters hoping to climb the ranks, including interview coaching and training simulations.

The report shows that multiple New Canaan firefighters signed up for classes offered by the business this year as they prepared to take promotional exams. Firefighters told investigators the classes cost $200 for the first session and $150 for additional sessions.

The report notes that Bassett and Gagne discussed how they should handle the New Canaan candidates before holding the classes and ultimately decided that Bassett would refrain from leading sessions or providing instruction.

"Chief Bassett felt that as long as the New Canaan candidates worked with Mr. Gagne rather than himself, that there was no conflict of interest," lawyers wrote in the report.

Test results from firefighters who took promotion exams showed "no clear pattern" between candidates who signed up for Promotional Opportunities classes and those who did not, according to an analysis by investigators.

In fact, the results showed that a candidate who did not pay for the company's services was selected for promotion over another candidate who did use Promotional Opportunities and scored higher on one of the exam categories, the report states.

Investigators wrote in the report the test outcomes and promotion decisions were "a significant indication that Chief Bassett did not skew the process in favor of those who paid his company."

"It should be noted that there was no indication that Chief Bassett attempted to reward those who utilized his business, penalize those who did not utilize his business or pressure anyone to use his business," attorneys wrote.

Still, the investigators concluded that Bassett's role designing promotion exams for the department while also owning a preparatory business posed a conflict of interest that should have been reported to town officials.

"When the person with the conflict of interest consults only his own compass to determine the propriety of a course of action, he may well be steered awry," investigators wrote.

In a statement, Joe DiIorio, the president of the local union that represents firefighters, said residents of New Canaan expect and deserve exceptional service and that the organization "will not settle for less."

"The union's priority has always been the community we serve and our members," DiIorio said. "We are committed to fostering trust and respect in every aspect of our work."