Mashpee, MA Claims No Changes After 'No Confidence' Vote

MASHPEE — Leaders of the town's firefighters union say concerns about safety and communications that led to a unanimous no-confidence vote in the department's top two administrators more than six months ago remain unaddressed and could affect the health and safety of union members.

The Mashpee Permanent Fire Fighters Association Local 2519 took the vote Nov. 19. Of the union's 31 members, 23 voted, all in favor of the no-confidence vote against Chief Thomas Rullo and Deputy Fire Chief John Phelan, said union President Michael Evaul, a lieutenant in the department.

The union didn't immediately publicize the vote and only brought it to the attention of Town Manager Rodney Collins on March 4 in a four-page letter outlining its concerns. But Evaul is going public with it now because, he said, the union has not seen a consistent improvement in working conditions.

“This is a last resort. It takes a lot to get to this point,” he said. “We are not looking for Chief Rullo's removal. We are looking for a conducive, working relationship between management and members of the bargaining unit and a safe working environment.”

After the union's letter to Collins, Evaul said there was a short-lived improvement in communication between the administrators and union members.

“It has gone back in completely the other direction,” Evaul said. “It's not only back to the previous level, but it's gotten worse.”

Rullo, on behalf of himself and Phelan, directed all questions to Collins, who said he heard from the union on May 18 that, in their view, communication had again broken down within the department. He met with union leadership again May 26 and has received a written response from Rullo and Phelan to the union's letter. He declined to provide the letter to the Times on Monday, saying he wanted to share it with union leaders first. The Times filed a public records request for the document, which gives Collins 10 days to respond.

“There's two sides to any story,” Collins said. “Any time you approach a situation of this nature, there's bound to be strong differences of opinion. ... Once you get through the fact-finding, that puts things in a clearer perspective.”

In the letter, the union detailed complaints under five categories: safety, communication, leadership, selective enforcement of department guidelines and a failure to become familiar with Massachusetts collective-bargaining laws. Among the safety concerns are numerous unresolved complaints about a fire engine with an unpredictable stalling problem, an open-door warning light that would go off unexpectedly, a faulty vehicle exhaust system and various repair issues.

The letter also references a June 6, 2015, incident in which Rullo closed Mashpee Fire Station 2 at 101 Red Brook Road and sent those firefighters to cover Forrestdale Station 3 in Sandwich during the funeral for former Sandwich Fire Chief Ferdinand “Freddie” Alvezi. While the station, which covers south Mashpee, was closed, there was a delayed response for an ambulance call for a fall from the Popponesset Raw Bar, causing the patient to leave the scene in a private vehicle, according to the letter.

The decision not only placed the residents of south Mashpee in danger, but the reduction in manpower increases the potential for injuries and deaths on calls, according to the letter.

The chief and deputy chief also had unprofessional interactions with members of the public and the department and ignored illegal activity in the department, according to the letter.

“On multiple occasions the chief and deputy fire chief have had knowledge of illegal activity that occurred inside the fire department and refused to acknowledge first that the activity occurred, and when confronted, denied that (it) was illegal and became visibly upset that a member had filed a criminal complaint regarding the matter,” the letter says.

Collins declined to respond to specific points in the letter before talking again with both department and union leadership.

“If something is being stated as opinion, that's different from stating a fact that could be a cause for concern relative to public safety,” he said. “At the same time, I don't want to suggest that one side or the other is totally in the right or totally in the wrong.”

Evaul stressed, however, that the issues outlined in the letter are not compromising the fire department's ability to provide fire and medical services to the town.

“We do our job to the best of our ability and have never done anything less than that,” he said. “This is more of an internal situation, but if it keeps building and building, ultimately it's going to affect the health and safety of our members.”

The town and union have been in negotiations over a new contract since the last one expired in June 2014. After hitting an impasse, the contract went to arbitration earlier this year.

Rullo was hired as deputy chief in 2012 and was subsequently named chief in March 2014. Phelan was hired in 1991 and named deputy chief in May 2014. In 2015, Rullo made $105,721 and Phelan made $93,497, according to town records.

Both men have employment contracts that expire next year.

— Follow Sean F. Driscoll on Twitter: @seanfdriscoll

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