By Rod Hansen
Staff Writer

Ousted Goffstown Fire Chief Frank Carpentino addresses press and colleagues at his final lunch with the fire department Friday, Dec. 30. The reasons for Carpentino's dismissal are still a matter of contention. (Ron Hansen Photo)

Goffstown Fire Chief Frank Carpentino is out, and members of the town's fire department aren't happy.

Carpentino and about a half dozen firefighters met for lunch at the department's Pinardville Station Friday, Dec. 30, in what would be Carpentino's last meal with his former colleagues.

Though the meal took place at high noon, the firefighters jokingly referred to it as Carpentino 's "last supper."

Carpentino's $74,000 annual position has been eliminated following Goffstown selectmen's decision on Nov. 7 to move toward merging the fire, police and EMT departments.

"I was told this was a financial decision that would benefit the community," Carpentino said of the proposed merger and his own job cut. "Where's the financial planning to determine this is good for the community?"

Carpentino, along with his colleagues on the fire department, said he has yet to see a proposal from the town's selectmen on merging the community 's safety services.

Selectman Robert Wheeler informed Carpentino his services would no longer be required at a private meeting in selectmen 's chambers on Nov. 7, Carpentino said.

Wheeler, who was vacationing out of state at the time of Carpentino's farewell luncheon, could not be reached to comment for this story.

In a selectmen's meeting later on the evening of Nov. 7, members of the board voted 5-0 to consider consolidating the town's safety services at the 2006 Town Meeting, following a motion from board Chairman Gossett McRae.

Though firefighters quoted budgetary concerns as the selectmen 's reason to consolidate the safety services, they speculated other considerations may have played a role as well.

For example, a dispute over the status of the town's oncall firefighting force may have played a role, Carpentino said.

Members of the on-call force are paid on a part-time basis ranging from $16.23 to $24 per hour, he said.

There are 54 on-call members of the fire department, who are expected to answer emergencies every night of the year as well as weekends and holidays, Carpentino said.

"Some members of the board of selectmen view the on-call force as being volunteer. But if we pay them the amount of money we do, is it really a volunteer force?" Carpentino asked.

Some former employees of the fire department said Carpentino 's dismissal resulted from bad feelings between selectmen and firefighters.

"This is nothing but a vendetta by some selectmen to get rid of the chief," said former fire captain Felix Pelchat, a Goffstown resident who spent 26 years on call with the fire department.

Carpentino, who joined the fire department on Aug. 23, 2003, said he has no immediate plans for his career in firefighting.

He said he is appealing the selectmen's decision to the Public Employee Labor Relations Board through attorney Dick Molan of Concord.