Killingly, CT — Over half of the Danielson Fire Department, including the entire officer staff, resigned or retired this week — many citing a lack of support from the Borough of Danielson Council and ongoing concerns surrounding the hiring process for a new fire chief.
As of Thursday, May 7, 2026, 14 certified members — all certified firefighters or medical providers — had resigned or retired from the department. The remaining roster reportedly consists of one Junior Firefighter, six Scene Support Personnel, three drivers (two of whom are EMRs), one EMT, and two FF/EMR. According to department sources, some of the remaining members do not actively respond to calls, and it remains unclear whether additional resignations will follow.
The Borough of Danielson is scheduled to discuss the possible appointment of an interim fire chief during a 7 p.m. special meeting on Thursday, May 7, 2026.
Quiet Corner Alerts spoke with Interim Fire Chief Jason Burgess on Thursday morning, prior to his retirement taking effect. Burgess explained he joined the Danielson Fire Department as a junior member in 2002 before gradually advancing through the ranks, eventually becoming Deputy Chief in 2017 and Interim Chief in October 2025.
According to Burgess, his family’s history with the department dates back nearly 100 years. He explained his grandfather joined the department in 1929 and served approximately 72 years, while his father later served approximately 45 years, including time as Assistant Chief. Burgess stated he had expected to spend several more years with the department before retiring but now believes the Borough has a different vision for the department’s future.
Burgess explained that following the retirement of Chief Chuck Kelleher in October 2025, he was appointed Interim Chief while Ryan Kelleher assumed the role of Deputy Chief. According to Burgess, the Borough determined the transition period was an appropriate time to review and revise the Fire Chief job description, and both he and Ryan Kelleher assisted in that process.
Burgess stated that when the Borough was asked whether the position would be posted internally, the council indicated it would instead be opened externally. According to Burgess, department membership later submitted a letter supporting an internal hiring process. However, the Borough proceeded with an external posting despite Burgess and Ryan Kelleher reportedly meeting the revised qualifications and maintaining the support of department membership.
In October 2025, the Borough publicly posted the first external opening for the fire chief position. On April 15, 2026, the Borough posted a revised version of the position.
That same day as the revised posting, the Danielson Fire Department issued a press release stating:
“The members of the Danielson Fire Department formally oppose the current external posting for the position of Fire Chief. It is the clear and unified position of the membership that qualified internal candidates exist and previously applied during the last posting. Those applications were deemed ‘incomplete’ by the Borough President; however, no explanation or guidance was provided to justify that determination.”
A separate press release issued by the Borough Council on April 16 stated that four applicants had applied during the original hiring process and all four applications were deemed “incomplete.”
“During the initial posting, four applications were received. Upon review, none met the submission requirements for a complete application. Each applicant was notified accordingly and informed that they would have the opportunity to reapply when the position was reposted.”
The Borough statement further read:
“The only correspondence received in support of an internal candidate was specific to the current interim chief [Burgess]. This correspondence was submitted prior to the position being formally posted.”
Burgess stated he was never provided an explanation as to why his application had been considered “incomplete” and said he was unsure whether the other applicants received any feedback.
According to Burgess, many members felt they were no longer being listened to by Borough leadership following the revised posting.
Burgess also stated that both Dyer Manor and Orient Heights — fire districts that contract with the Borough of Danielson for fire suppression services — had expressed satisfaction with the department’s emergency response capabilities under the current leadership structure.
Burgess explained that in mid-April, department members learned the Borough had reportedly reached out to several surrounding departments asking them to identify potential candidates to apply for the Danielson chief position.
According to Burgess, news of that outreach spread quickly through the department and was viewed by many members as a breaking point, ultimately contributing to the wave of resignations and retirements. Burgess stressed that he independently made the decision to retire and that individual members made their own decisions separately.
When asked about the reasons members provided for resigning or retiring, Burgess said many members felt unsupported by Borough leadership.
“The Borough never sat down with any of us to get a sense of how things are going down here,” Burgess said. “They never asked, ‘How can we support you?’”
Burgess explained that concerns regarding declining volunteer staffing had been raised with the Borough and noted that volunteer recruitment and retention issues are occurring nationwide.
According to Burgess, suggestions had been made to expand daytime staffing and increase pay rates to help attract additional personnel. Burgess stated those suggestions ultimately did not move forward.
Quiet Corner Alerts reached out to the Borough of Danielson seeking comment and asking what emergency response coverage would look like moving forward. The Borough responded with a general press release rather than directly addressing operational questions regarding staffing and response capabilities.
The Borough statement read, in part:
“The Borough has only recently been made aware of a wave of retirements and resignations at the Danielson Fire Department and takes the situation very seriously. We thank every firefighter and officer who has served our community for their dedication and sacrifice. The safety of Danielson residents remains our highest priority, and we are working urgently to ensure uninterrupted emergency response and public safety.”
The Borough disputes several characterizations made by departing members and maintains that formal communication channels remained available throughout the process.
The Borough further stated:
“The chiefs did not raise issues from department members to the commissioners. Members have always been encouraged to reach out to the Fire Commissioners, the Council, the Administrator, or the President. We are concerned that, instead of using those channels, some have contributed to an atmosphere of gossip and misinformation within the department and the community.”
When asked to respond to that statement, Burgess explained that the fire service traditionally operates through a chain-of-command structure and that it is uncommon for members to bypass department leadership unless concerns specifically involve command staff.
When asked whether concerns raised through the department’s chain of command were ultimately brought to the Borough as needed, Burgess responded:
“Yes. If there was anything major that the council needed to be aware of, we would absolutely talk about it, and we have in the past few executive sessions and handled what we needed to handle at that level.”
When asked what emergency response may look like moving forward, Burgess stated that much of that decision-making now rests with the Borough and incoming leadership.
He did explain that, to his knowledge, all mutual aid agreements and alarm assignments remained active as of Thursday afternoon.
The Danielson Fire Department and South Killingly Fire Department currently provide dual responses to all non-medical calls and serious medical emergencies such as cardiac arrests. KB Ambulance continues to provide ambulance coverage within the Borough.
Burgess stated he had informed neighboring departments of the staffing levels expected by the end of the week so they could responsibly review alarm assignments and staffing availability.
The Borough of Danielson has posted a special meeting agenda for Thursday, May 7, 2026, at 7 p.m. to discuss the “possible action on appointment of an Interim Fire Chief.”
It remains unclear exactly when the meeting notice was posted.