Nora Grace-Flood file photo
Asst. Chief Bialecki at July swearing-in ceremony.
Assistant Fire Chief Justin Bialecki is stepping down from his city job at the end of the week, after nearly two decades with the New Haven Fire Department, including four months in the second-to-top role.
Bialecki, 39, grew up in Westville and is a graduate of Wilbur Cross and Albertus Magnus. He joined the New Haven Fire Department in 2004, and held every line rank position from firefighter to deputy chief before becoming assistant chief in July.
On Tuesday, he sent a letter to colleagues announcing his plan to retire at the end of the week. “After much contemplation with my family, I have decided to move onto a new chapter in my life,” he wrote.
In a followup phone call with the Independent, Bialecki acknowledged that he is leaving this position “definitely earlier” than he had expected. But, after “careful contemplation and talking with my family, I’m going to focus on my family after years of serving the city.”
“There’s nothing immediately I’m going to,” he said about where he might work after the New Haven Fire Department. Instead, he plans to focus on spending the holidays with his family, including his two kids, aged 7 and 10.
“It’s bittersweet,” Fire Chief John Alston said about Bialecki’s retirement. “I’ve known him since I’ve been here,” and have seen Bialecki promoted four times in the past seven years alone. “He’s been a tremendous asset to the department,” particularly since stepping into the role of deputy chief a few years ago and then assistant chief this year. His “understanding of scheduling” and hiring and personnel have helped the department work through staff shortages.
Bialecki’s departure leaves empty the role of assistant chief of administration, which oversees the department’s budget, labor relations and personnel matters. He is also second assistant chief of administration to retire this year, after former assistant chief Justin McCarthy stepped down from the post in May to pursue a similar job in the suburbs.
Alston said he plans to appoint a temporary replacement to fill the role once Bialecki leaves. Then he’s going “examine the process of selection” as the department figures out who will be in that role next for the long term. There hasn’t been any problem with finding the right talent to fill this position, he said in praise of the past two assistant chiefs of administration. “We have to look at the other side,” now, of retaining someone once they’re in the job.
Bialecki is one of two assistant fire chiefs. Daniel Coughlin assumed the post of assistant chief of operations in March.