Committee recommends confirmation of six Somerville fire promotions

The Somerville City Council Committee on Confirmation of Appointments and Personnel Matters recommended confirmation of six promotions in the Somerville Fire Department during a remote meeting. The committee voted to recommend approval of one promotion to fire captain and five promotions to fire lieutenant; each recommendation passed on a roll-call vote of four in favor.

Committee chair and members took up the fire-promotion items together after brief housekeeping and an announcement that the meeting would be conducted remotely pursuant to chapter 2 of the acts of 2023. Chief Breen introduced each candidate and summarized service records before the committee called for questions and a roll-call recommendation vote.

Why it matters: Promotions change supervisory staffing in the Fire Department and can affect shift coverage, specialty assignments and operational capacity. The committee’s recommendations move the candidates to full City Council confirmation consideration.

Chief Breen described each nominee’s service and qualifications. Agenda item 25-0572 requested confirmation of the promotion of Eric Saulner to fire captain; Breen said Saulner has served with the department since 2012, was promoted to lieutenant in 2020, has served as acting captain in the Fire Prevention Bureau, holds a law degree from New England School of Law and a bachelor’s in sociology from UMass, and is an EMT. Saulner told the committee, “No. I’m just happy to be here.” The committee recommended approval on a roll-call vote recorded as four yes votes.

The committee then recommended approval of five lieutenant promotions. For agenda item 25-0573, Mark Wall (department member since 1998) was presented; Breen noted Wall is an EMT with a bachelor’s degree from Suffolk University and holds ice-water rescue certification. For agenda item 25-0574, Patrick Berry (department member since 2002) was presented; Breen said Berry holds a bachelor’s degree from Framingham State and a high-angle rope certificate and has served in acting roles for approximately three years. For agenda item 25-0575, Joseph Ladano (presented as Joel/ Joseph Ladano; department member since 2015) was described as currently serving in an acting role in the Homeland Security division and as responsible for calibrating hazard meters brought back from calibration sites. For agenda item 25-0577, Troy Solner (department member since 2017) was introduced; Breen noted Solner is pursuing an associate degree in fire science and has coached youth hockey. For agenda item 25-0578, Eric Collins (department member since 2018) was presented; Breen said Collins is a hazmat technician with multiple technical-rescue certifications.

Each lieutenant promotion was followed by introductory remarks from the candidate, one or two clarifying questions from councilors about acting-role experience, and a roll-call recommendation vote. Each recommendation recorded four yes votes and was announced as “recommended to be approved.”

The committee concluded the fire-promotion portion of the agenda before moving on to other items.

Votes at a glance: agenda item 25-0572 (promotion to fire captain for Eric Saulner) — committee recommendation: approved (roll-call recommendation: yes=4); agenda item 25-0573 (promotion to fire lieutenant for Mark Wall) — committee recommendation: approved (yes=4); agenda item 25-0574 (promotion to fire lieutenant for Patrick Berry) — committee recommendation: approved (yes=4); agenda item 25-0575 (promotion to fire lieutenant for Joseph Ladano) — committee recommendation: approved (yes=4); agenda item 25-0577 (promotion to fire lieutenant for Troy Solner) — committee recommendation: approved (yes=4); agenda item 25-0578 (promotion to fire lieutenant for Eric Collins) — committee recommendation: approved (yes=4).

The committee will transmit its recommendations for these promotions to the full council for final confirmation at a subsequent meeting.