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February 5, 2008

Update: R.I. fire marshal quitting after less than 4 months

Frank M. Sylvester, who was appointed state fire marshal at the end of October by Governor Carcieri, is leaving the post on Feb. 15, according to state Sen. John J. Tassoni Jr.

Sylvester, who had served as chief of the Lime Rock Fire District in Lincoln, will become the second Rhode Island state fire marshal to resign in less than a year.

“While I am not privy to the specific reasons for Chief Sylvester’s resignation, I can’t help but wonder if it is not, at least in part, because of frustration,” Tassoni, D-Smithfield, said in a news release in which he expresses a range of concerns about fire readiness.

“I know from personal discussions that many firefighters and fire officials are growing very tired of the Carcieri Administration’s foot-dragging in an area of public safety that should be getting more attention.”

Tassoni said in his statement he is upset with a six-year delay in creating a Rhode Island Fire Academy, for which voters approved a $6.4 million bond issue, among other concerns. And he that he planned to write to the governor to "urge action" on various fire concerns "and to ask that the fire marshal’s position be filled quickly."

Jeff Neal, spokesman for Governor Carcieri, confirmed the governor's office has received Sylvester’s resignation. Neal said that Sylvester expressed interest in returning to his old job in Lincoln and did not mention the Fire Academy.

-- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney, with reports from Journal staff writer Amanda Milkovits

Posted by Mike McKinney  at 6:01 PM | Permalink

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