State police Capt. Peter Higgins is handling the investigation.
Holyoke provisional fire chief William P. Moran.HOLYOKE - State police are investigating whether there was criminal activity in relation to an incident earlier this week that prompted the Holyoke Fire Commission to place provisional fire chief William P. Moran on paid administrative leave, commission chairwoman Priscilla F. Chesky said Friday.
Chesky acknowledged the state police investigation following an emergency meeting of the fire commission Friday afternoon. The commission voted 2-0 to formalize the decision to put Moran on paid administrative leave that Chesky made Wednesday, when the incident occurred.
A press release from the office of Mayor Elaine A. Pluta Wednesday said that Moran was put on paid administrative leave pending “an internal investigation by the Fire Commission due to an incident at the Holyoke Fire Department.”
Asked Friday whether the investigation might result in Moran and other fire department employees losing their jobs, Chesky said, "I don't know. That's still to be determined."
So far, officials have declined to explain the incident. According to sources who spoke to The Republican and MassLive.com, Moran is suspected of sending an engine company to a false call. During the response around noon on Wednesday, several vehicles collided at Homestead Avenue and Pynchon Road when one vehicle failed to pull over for a fire truck.
Moran, a 27-year veteran who became provisional chief in September, declined to comment when reached Wednesday and did not return a call seeking comment Thursday.
"There's a lot of rumors floating around as to what happened in this incident that we are looking into," Chesky said after Friday's meeting. Chesky pledged that the board of fire commissioners would be "as transparent in this investigation as we can be" without violating anyone's personal rights.
State police Capt. Peter Higgins attended the meeting and is handling the investigation. Higgins declined to comment on the matter.
The commission also voted 2-0 to formalize Chesky's decision to make deputy chief Robert Shaw the provisional fire chief.
Chesky said she wanted to assure residents that the fire department will be providing its same level of protection, despite the investigation and temporary change in leadership.
"The fire department is running effectively with all of the great staff we have here," Chesky said.
The commission consists of three members. Attending Friday's meeting with Chesky was commissioner Juan Pedrosa. Commissioner William McCoy was absent.