By MES Dispatch Staff
The Briefing
- • Chelmsford Firefighters IAFF Local 1839 voted unanimously to issue a no-confidence resolution against Fire Chief Gary Ryan, citing staffing shortages, communication failures, and a lack of advocacy for department personnel and public safety.
- • Union President Robert Albon delivered the vote by letter Monday to the Chelmsford Select Board and acting Town Manager John Sousa, stating the action followed what the union described as years of unresolved deficiencies in department leadership.
- • A central grievance involves the department’s handling of the April 7, 2026, serious injury of firefighter Nicholas Spinale, who fell 40 feet at the Massachusetts Firefighting Academy in Stow and sustained life-threatening injuries.
- • The union alleges that Chief Ryan issued no direct communication to the department or union leadership following Spinale’s injury, a claim it says was confirmed through a public records request.
- • Acting Town Manager Sousa publicly defended Ryan, calling him “one of the finest people I have ever met,” and disputed multiple claims in the union’s letter, suggesting the timing of the vote coincides with an ongoing collective bargaining impasse.
CHELMSFORD, Mass. — The Chelmsford Firefighters IAFF Local 1839 announced Monday that its members voted unanimously to issue a no-confidence resolution in Fire Chief Gary Ryan, citing what the union described as years of staffing deficiencies, communication failures, and inadequate advocacy for department personnel and community safety.
Union President Robert Albon delivered the resolution by letter to the Chelmsford Select Board and acting Town Manager John Sousa on June 9, 2026. In a statement accompanying the letter, Albon said an internal survey of department personnel found respondents “overwhelmingly” believed Ryan was not the appropriate individual to lead the department. Specific concerns listed by union members included ongoing staffing shortages, the absence of established standard operating procedures, and a lack of clear direction from the chief’s office.
The union also cited what it characterized as a pattern of voluntary budget reductions, alleging the department returned more than $2.5 million in personnel funds to the town between fiscal years 2015 and 2025, despite persistent staffing shortages. According to Albon, Chelmsford apparatus are generally staffed with two firefighters and no company officer — below the minimum recommended by National Fire Protection Association 1710 standards. The union noted that over a ten-year period, the department recorded six civilian deaths across 307 fire incidents, and that an arbitration award secured through contract negotiations now requires at least one apparatus to be staffed with three firefighters at all times.
A significant point of contention involves the April 7, 2026, injury of Chelmsford firefighter Nicholas Spinale, who fell 40 feet from a burn building at the Massachusetts Firefighting Academy in Stow while working as a part-time training instructor. Spinale sustained life-threatening injuries but has since been discharged from the hospital and is recovering at home. Because the injury occurred while Spinale was working a secondary job, town leadership initially determined the town could not provide him with injury benefits equivalent to those available for on-duty injuries. Gov. Maura Healey subsequently filed legislation to grant Spinale full injury benefits during his recovery, and the town placed him on paid administrative leave in the interim, to be reimbursed by the state. The union alleged that Ryan issued no response to its request for a temporary staffing coverage solution following the injury and never addressed department personnel regarding the incident. Albon said a public records request confirmed the absence of any direct communication from the chief’s office to union leadership on the matter.
Acting Town Manager Sousa pushed back against the union’s claims in a phone call Monday afternoon, defending Ryan’s record on equipment upgrades, the provision of PFAS-free turnout gear, and efforts to replace two aging fire stations. Sousa disputed the union’s account of poor communication, citing monthly command staff meetings and an open-door policy maintained by Ryan. On the staffing issue, Sousa attributed a portion of the problem to high sick leave usage among firefighters, noting that between November and mid-May, 63 callback shifts were required due to leave, 25 of which went unfilled and four of which were only partially filled. Sousa also suggested the timing of the no-confidence vote may be connected to an ongoing collective bargaining impasse between the union and the town.
Chief Ryan was contacted for comment Monday morning but told The Sun it was the first he had heard of the union’s vote and that he would issue a formal response after reviewing the letter. No disciplinary action or administrative review of Ryan’s position has been publicly announced by town leadership. The matter remains ongoing.