NEWPORT – A police investigation into the possible vandalism of fire equipment has ignited a firestorm of its own, and possibly fractured the relationships between the town’s police, the Fire Department, the Board of Selectmen and the town manager.

Nearly two-thirds of the town’s firefighters attended Wednesday night’s selectmen’s meeting to support their Assistant Chief Greg Buckland, who they expected to be appointed chief in the wake of veteran Chief Fred Hickey’s resignation last month.

Instead of hearing their candidate proposed, however, everyone in the room was surprised by a plan by Town Manager James Ricker to create a new public safety position to lead both departments and to appoint Police Chief Leonard Macdaid to that post.

“We’re absolutely blindsided by this,” Selectman Rick Clark said. “How long have you known about this [plan]?” he asked Chairman Al Worden. Worden said he had known for about five days and Ricker said he had been mulling the idea for five years.

Ricker said the plan would save the town money and provide a more managed administration. He said the structure of the Fire Department would not change and that Buckland could still serve as assistant chief. “He’s [Macdaid] not going to show up at a fire and start bellowing orders,” Ricker said. “This [outcry] is all about territory and turf.”

Ricker maintained that the new position would be administrative and Macdaid would manage the budgets, discipline and personnel.

But the plan angered and upset the firefighters, who said Macdaid had no firefighting experience. “It seems to us that you feel we can’t do our job, that Greg can’t do his job. You’re undermining our ability to pick our chief,” Firefighter Tom Snowman said.

At one point, tempers flared and Buckland handed a letter of resignation to the board and quietly left the meeting. The letter was not accepted by the board.

At the root of the split is an ongoing investigation into the potential vandalism of firefighter air packs that Ricker categorized as a case of criminal mischief but that the firefighters felt was simply a problem of overlooked maintenance.

Two air packs on one truck and one on another were recently discovered to have loose fittings. The firefighters said it was simply a lack of proper care. The loose fittings never put anyone in danger, Fire Lt. Ricky Turner said, and none of the firefighters at Wednesday’s meeting said they felt unsafe using the air packs. “It was just negligence,” he said.

But Ricker said that three firefighters, whom he did not name, came to him and believed that a criminal act had occurred. Ricker passed the complaint on to Macdaid who launched a criminal investigation. Macdaid would not provide any details of the investigation because it is ongoing.

But Macdaid told selectmen Wednesday night, “This was very, very serious. We kept it quiet. The Police Department did not create this problem. We are just trying to keep people safe. No one is being accused. It is just an investigation.”

Several firefighters at the meeting said they had been called into Macdaid’s office and offered deals if they confessed. Macdaid denied that happened.

EMT-Firefighter Amanda Cretian said the investigation is why morale in the department slipped, not a lack of leadership.

“Two of our men were falsely accused,” she said.

Ricker agreed that the investigation had hurt some feelings. Ricker said that in many communities “it’s always been red versus blue,” referring to conflicts between police and fire departments.

Ricker maintained that his proposal had nothing to do with his trust or confidence in Buckland. “The management for both departments should be the same,” he said. “You are both responding to emergencies. You are all the same. When people see a uniform, half the time they don’t know whether it’s the police or a firefighter. They see help.”

In the past two weeks, while Buckland has been acting chief, the Fire Department has been operating smoothly, Cretian said. “People who had left the department are now returning, things were getting done, everything was great under Greg.”

“We want Greg as our chief,” Turner said. “All we are asking is that you give the guy a chance. He’s only had two weeks.”

The discussion between the selectmen became ugly, with Selectman Chris Dow and Ricker facetiously calling each other “buddy” during the debate.

After more than an hour and a half of heated discussion, Selectman Rick Clark made a motion to appoint Buckland fire chief until next March’s annual town meeting. “I think Greg should get a chance to prove himself,” he said.

Selectman Chris Dow seconded the motion.

“I even support that,” Ricker said. “The emotions are high and so much has been said here that I don’t know that any future discussions would be fruitful.”

Still, Worden suggesting forming a committee of board members, fire and police representatives to look at a public safety style of administration and whether it could be more efficient or cost saving. “This has to calm down a bit,” he said.

Outside in the parking lot after the meeting, Newport’s firefighters and police officers mingled and reassured each other that they were happy working together.

Buckland could not be reached to see if he would accept the chief’s slot.

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