Quincy officials are looking for state lawmakers to approve a request that would allow retired firefighters to come back on board for support duties.
The Quincy City Council supports giving the fire chief the power to appoint retirees as “special firefighters” who’d help cover detail assignments. A home rule petition the council filed this week requires approval from the state Legislature for such positions to be created.
An increased workload within the fire department has sparked the need for the special firefighters to man detail assignments, particularly at construction sites, said Tom Bowes, president of the Quincy Firefighters Association Local 792.
Developers are required to get a fire watch detail when welders and pipefitters are performing work inside a building, and the fire department sometimes has a hard time making sure someone is at the site, Bowes told the Herald on Wednesday.