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Firefighter’s family pleads for fleet overhaul after fatal crash

E-mail|Link|Comments () December 4, 2009 03:35 PM

(David L. Ryan/Globe Staff/file January 2009)

Lieutenant Kevin M. Kelley was killed on Jan. 9 when the brakes failed on a fire truck in Mission Hill.

By Michael Levenson, Globe Staff

Relatives of a Boston firefighter who was killed in January when the brakes failed on a 14-year-old fire truck and it slammed into a building in Mission Hill are outraged that a bill to upgrade the city’s fire fleet has been bottled up for months in the City Council.

The bill, which would require the city to replace fire trucks after 10 years, was introduced in June and has not even had an initial public hearing. In recent days, relatives of Lieutenant Kevin M. Kelley have been sending emotional e-mails to city councilors urging them to advance the bill to prevent another tragedy.

Councilor Maureen E. Feeney, whose committee has jurisdiction over the legislation, has agreed to review the measure during a marathon hearing with other bills on Dec. 14, but that is just 48 hours before the final council meeting of the year, diminishing the chances of its passage.

"Had it already been in effect, Kevin would be alive today," said his sister, Kathleen Nazzaro of Braintree. "I'd really like an explanation of why it wasn't put on during the summer. I just think the family deserves more than that. He gave 30 years for the city … Are they going to wait until something happens to somebody else?"

Feeney did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Her aides said she was home sick today.

Councilor John M .Tobin Jr. said he was not sure why the bill has not had a hearing. He said he filed the measure after speaking about the accident with District Chief Charles Mitchell, a constituent and friend of Kelley's who delivered a eulogy at the lieutenant's funeral.

"I think the matter ought to be heard," Tobin said. "I'm not asking the chair to have a parade for me. I'm asking that the public be invited to attend to talk about the bill and craft something we can all work together on and be proud of."

Nazzaro said she had not heard of any opposition to the bill. "We want to see that Kevin didn't die for nothing," she said. "We want something good and positive to come from it. It's not just a safety issue for the Boston firemen. It's a safety issue for the Boston citizens. The equipment should never be outdated or broken."

But Fire Commissioner Roderick J. Fraser Jr. said he does not support the bill. He said the department has had a plan in place since 2006 to replace aging equipment. The city has spent $11.7 million since then to replace 33 percent of its fleet, and the average fire truck in Boston is now 9 years old, down from 14 years old in prior years.

"This is not a legislative issue," Fraser said. "It's a fleet management issue," and the city already has a "great plan" to maintain a safe fleet.