Hartford Fire Department move could limit fire protection in the area

Should paid firefighters be allowed to volunteer with other departments in their free time?

State law has said yes, but the Hartford fire chief has issued his firefighters an ultimatum that could limit firefighting in communities that rely on volunteers.

Hartford Fire Chief Rodney Barco sent out a memo to the department on Tuesday.

He told union members they have until close of business on Friday to quit their outside jobs, or else resign from the department.

It has not been made clear what prompted this.

The chief cited a clause in the union contract that took effect all the way back in 2008.

It said paid members of the Hartford Fire Department cannot work for other departments at the same time, whether paid or unpaid.

That same year, lawmakers passed a law that says fire departments cannot stop their members from volunteering in the towns where they live.

This has come at a time when volunteers are already in short supply.

Joanne Sharkevich's husband Rob was killed earlier this year while responding to a brush fire.

He was a career Hartford firefighter who went on to volunteer in Wethersfield for more than two decades.

Joanne Sharkevich told NBC Connecticut Investigates, “People rely on the real paid firemen that know different things that volunteers don’t get the experience with. If you speak to the Wethersfield volunteers, I’m sure many of them will say, the firefighters that are full-time, they teach us things that we just don’t have the ability or access to learn through volunteer programs. And it makes a difference.”

The union did not have a comment for us when we called. Back in 2008, it supported the clause, saying it protects the city from losing firefighters to injuries outside the job.

Our team also reached out to the Hartford Fire Department about this. We have not yet heard back from the chief.