by Bradley Parsons
Staff Writer
New Fire and Rescue Chief Richard Barrett said Friday that giving his firefighters the resources they need with a tight budget would present his greatest challenge to restoring his department to prominence.
Mayor John Peyton picked Barrett, a battalion chief and former fire marshal, over Operations Chief Lorin Mock and District Rescue Chief Joe Moore to replace Ray Alfred.
Barrett worked his way through the department’s ranks from firefighter to chief over a 30-year career. Firefighter’s union business agent Larry Osborne said the department’s rank-and-file would rally around Barrett as they never had for Alfred, whose appointment from Washington D.C. offended many.
“Richard will never work for a political agenda; he’s never about the who of an issue,” Osborne said. “The people in the department know he will do what he thinks is in the department’s best interest.”
Barrett said he would enforce the department’s chain of command and properly equip his firefighters to restore morale. He plans to emphasize training to get better results without relying on big budget increases.
Peyton budgeted about a $2 million bump from the department’s $95 million budget last year. Barrett said that should be enough
“The mayor was very generous with the money he gave us. He looked after the firefighters with these budget numbers,” said Barrett.
Barrett said he would convene a series of roundtable discussions with black departmental leaders to bridge a perceived racial divide. During his interview with the mayor’s transition team, he said communication would solve the department’s racial problems.
“Communication is the most important thing,” Barrett reiterated Friday. “Unless you know what people’s concerns are, you don’t know how to deal with them.”