By Bill Carey
FireRescue1
LONDONDERRY, N.H. — The chief of the Londonderry Fire Department announced his resignation during an emotional address at a town council meeting.
Chief Bo Butler cited challenges with his department’s budget as the primary reason for stepping down, WHDH reported.
“I am providing you my resignation tonight as chief of the Londonderry Fire Department,” Butler said at the Oct. 7 meeting.
He explained he couldn’t balance the budget while maintaining safe staffing levels.
“I am not going to be the chief to violate my own character, integrity and principles to come in under budget at the cost of their health and safety,” he said.
Butler said he was advised to work with fewer firefighters as the budget season approached, despite voters approving a measure in March to add new firefighters, bringing each of the department’s four shifts to 13 members, the Union Leader reported.
IAFF Local 3160 President Chris Schofield said Butler was pressured about the budget.
“We’ve been maintaining 12 members per shift until we could get those four additional on staff. Now he’s being told we have to bump to 11,” Schofield said. “He was threatened with discipline that if he went over his budget, he could face termination.”
Town Manager Mike Malaguti disputed the union’s claims in a statement on the town’s website.
“To clear up two inaccuracies that were posted by Local 3160 on social media, and alluded to last night, neither the Finance Director nor I have ‘mandated that Chief Butler reduce staff from 13 to 11 members per shift.’ Instead, we informed the Chief that his overtime budget is trending $200,000 over budget just one quarter into the fiscal year, and we answered the Chief’s questions about possible strategies to address this trend. Similarly, the Chief was not ‘threatened … with disciplinary action if he does not comply.’ This assertion is entirely made up,” the statement said.
Malaguti Statementonbutlerresignation by Lexipol_Media_Group on Scribd
Butler included in his address that he wanted to be a good role model for his children.
“I’m going to live the rest of my life in peace, and will always know when push came to shove, Bo Butler stood for what was right and what was true.”
He is set to leave in two weeks.
