Moran continues to be on paid administrative leave, despite the criminal probe, at a salary of at least $68,775.
This updates a story posted at 10:06 a.m.
Deputy Fire Chief William P. Moran, formerly the acting fire chiefHOLYOKE – The Fire Commission will wait for a July 22 court hearing before deciding discipline regarding Deputy Fire Chief William P. Moran, who is the subject of a criminal investigation, officials said Thursday.
Moran, a 27-year veteran, has been on paid administrative leave since a June 15 incident in which officials said he sent a fire truck on a fake call to the Holyoke Mall at Ingleside.
Moran didn’t attend Thursday’s Fire Commission meeting but was represented by his lawyer, Jeffrey S. Morneau, who declined to comment.
Moran had been acting fire chief since September before the June 15 incident.
The Moran incident was the major issue among other matters that tied up the commission in a closed-door meeting for three hours.
Commission Chairwoman Priscilla F. Chesky said the reasons for the executive session at Fire Department headquarters on High Street was to discuss grievances and personnel issues, including the Moran incident.
An investigation by state police connected to the office of Hampden District Attorney Mark. G. Mastroianni lead to a June 27 announcement that a request for a criminal complaint would be filed against William Moran.
Mastroianni said the complaint application charges Moran with two misdemeanors: communicating false information to an emergency response facility and being a disorderly person.
A show-cause hearing on Mastroianni’s request is scheduled for July 22 at 9 a.m. at Springfield District Court, officials said.
En route to the June 15 bogus call, a traffic accident occurred among four vehicles that were going in the opposite direction of the fire truck and had stopped. One of the drivers was treated at the hospital and released.
Chesky said later the commission took a vote regarding William Moran but said she was unable give details because it was a personnel matter
Chesky told The Republican previously that termination and suspension of William Moran would be considered at Thursday’s meeting. She said later he remains on paid administrative leave.
The annual salary of a deputy chief is $68,775. The additional pay that comes with being provisional chief was unclear, but the budgeted amount for the chief’s salary is $95,873.
The mayor appoints the three-member commission, but the commission under city law is authorized to hire, fire and discipline the chief.
Mayor Elaine A. Pluta said later, “My understanding is the Fire Commission will wait for the show-cause hearing before taking any action” regarding Moran.
Moran worked on Pluta’s 2009 election campaign. Deputy Fire Chief Timothy J. Moran, William Moran’s younger brother, was Pluta’s campaign manager.
Some of the commission’s executive session was devoted to Timothy Moran. He was with his brother at the time William Moran, using a city-issued cell phone, called dispatch and ordered a truck to the mall for an investigation, officials said.
That phone call was in relation to William Moran having seen two firefighters from Station 6, located around the corner on Homestead Avenue, go into Strum’s Deli and Meats, 502 Westfield Road, for lunch, Mastroianni has said.
Timothy Moran and his lawyer Jorge L. Neves said the commission at least for now wouldn’t be disciplining Timothy Moran regarding the June 15 incident.
“My understanding is that they’re not going to take any kind of action,” Neves said.
Neves said Timothy Moran acted appropriately that day, telling the two firefighers who were seen at Strum’s Deli to disregard the call. That detail is included in the June 27 statement Mastroianni released on the matter.
The fire truck proceeded to the call anyway, stopping in the parking lot of the deli to pick up the two firefighters, who boarded the truck thinking it was headed to a different call, Mastroianni has said.
“My client did everything a person should do in that situation,” Neves said.
Timothy Moran said he was relieved.
“It was just very nice to give my side of the events of that day,” Timothy Moran said.