A promotion will soon be taking place at the Bridgeport Fire Department, and it has nothing to do with the arrival of the new chief at the start of next month. Instead, the Bridgeport Fire Civil Service Commission will meet Monday to determine who will become the next lieutenant at the department.

 

The meeting is at 7 p.m. It will be held in the conference room of the Bridgeport Municipal Complex.

 

The position became open due to one of the members leaving. Former Lt. Josh Keough is now with the Clarksburg Fire Department.

 

“The lieutenant position is certainly an important one,” said Bridgeport Assistant City Manager/Director of HR Jimmy Smith. “It’s rank is behind chief and captain.”

 

Robert Seccuro, who is from Florida, will assume the chief’s post. Phil Hart, who is serving at the interim chief, is currently captain.

 

As for who will be the next lieutenant isn’t known. However, the process, Smith said, is very clear. The next lieutenant will come from a written examination score and the number of years of service. The highest combined number gets the position.

 

“That’s defined straight out of civil service,” Smith said.

 

Keough’s departure means one member will move up and will create an opening. Add that to an anticipated retirement at the end of this month and the department has two openings it will need to fill. The opening for firefighter/paramedic will also be on the agenda Monday.

 

Civil Service guidelines for new fire fighters mirror those for police officers. There is a physical agility test and a written test that must be passed. From there an interview process is held with those who advance and a list of the ranked remaining candidates are formed. The city can choose any of the top three candidates from that list, Smith said.

 

Editor's Note: Pictured below is interim fire chief and current Captain Phil Hart.