Rosado, in 2012.
Miguel Rosado can still remember being a first-grader at Hill Central and marveling at city firefighters as they visited his school for “Fire Prevention Month” to show off a fire engine, climb a ladder, and talk about their work keeping the city safe.
Now the native New Havener is in a position to influence a future generation of potential homegrown firefighters — as well as advocate for his 250-plus colleagues already in the department — as the new president of the city’s firefighters union.
Rosado, 44, was elected president of New Haven Fire Union, Local 825 in mid-December. He began his first three-year term in office on Jan. 1.
A deputy chief who served as the firefighters union’s vice president last year, Rosado has worked for the New Haven Fire Department (NHFD) for nearly 17 years. He succeeds Patrick Cannon, who had been president of the union since 2020 and who retired effective Jan. 3.
In a Friday morning interview with the Independent, Rosado — the son of retired NHFD battalion chief, also named Miguel Rosado — described feeling “optimistic” about his new role at the head of the union. “I thank all the members for giving me the opportunity to be in this position and represent them.”
His top goals, he said, include making sure “everyone gets treated fairly,” establishing good relationships with his union colleagues and department leadership, and ensuring New Haveners get the best fire protection service possible.
Rosado said there are currently around 250 active members in the union. At full budgeted strength, he said, there would be a staff of 310. He said he’s looking forward to a new recruit class starting soon, which he said should “breathe life back into the department” and provide an opportunity for himself and other NHFD veterans to pass down their experiences and hard-won knowledge about the work of being a firefighter.
“I enjoy coming to work on a daily basis. [There’s] a lot of camaraderie. We’re always stepping up,” including during times of crisis like the Covid-19 pandemic, he said about being a city firefighter.
Rosado said that, having grown up in New Haven himself, he still sees former teachers and classmates and people he met while working at the YCMA as a teen around town. Those New Haven roots help him “build a good rapport when interacting with citizens” today.
This isn’t the first time Rosado has run for fire union president. He last ran in 2015 and lost in a four-way race to then-incumbent Frank Ricci.