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Committee hears support, questions on mayor’s nomination of Daniel Coughlin for New Haven fire chief
Summary
At a March 12 committee hearing, the mayor’s nominee for New Haven fire chief, Daniel Coughlin, outlined priorities including firefighter mental‑health training and recruitment. Colleagues and the emergency management director urged the committee to confirm him; the panel moved the appointment forward to the full board.
The Automatic Affairs Committee of the Board of Auditors met March 12, 2026, to consider the mayor’s nomination of Daniel Coughlin as chief of the New Haven Fire Department and to hear public testimony on the appointment.
Daniel Coughlin, named in the agenda as the mayor’s nominee for fire chief, told the committee he has a long career in the department and emphasized priorities for firefighter safety, including in‑house mental‑health training, a peer‑support team and stepped‑up community outreach and recruitment. Committee members pressed him on mental‑health supports and on concrete recruitment strategies for younger candidates; the nominee said he would designate a point person for recruitment and pursue job fairs and school outreach.
The hearing included multiple endorsements. Justin McCarthy, who identified himself and said he had worked with the nominee, told the committee the nominee has helped guide firefighters through multiple ranks and “has a lot of great ideas,” and asked for the committee’s support. The emergency management director, speaking from the audience, said they had coordinated with the nominee frequently since July and praised his “directness, practicality and efficiency,” adding that those qualities help in stressful situations.
A committee member raised a specific concern about a recent fire at 1523 Town Street, saying residents were displaced and alder office staff were not notified. The committee and the nominee described that incident as a communication breakdown; the nominee said he had instructed operations staff to ensure contact and notification procedures are followed and to include clear contact information on operations sheets going forward.
Committee members repeatedly acknowledged the difficulty of firefighting and said the nominee had earned the respect of colleagues. After public testimony and committee questioning, the committee moved the nomination (as part of a package of items) favorably to the full board for confirmation.
The committee did not complete a roll‑call recorded vote on the nomination at the meeting; the chair said the items would be forwarded favorably to the full board for confirmation. The full Board of Auders/ Alders will consider the nomination in a subsequent session.
