Paul Christian  
Chair  
Board of Fire Commissioners  
73 Mountain Road  
Suffield, CT 06078  
 
September 3, 2025 
 
Mr. Christian:  
 
The purpose of this petition is to call for transparency on the part of the Board of Fire Commissioners (Fire Commission) and their response to events of August 8, 2025, reportedly involving a member of the Suffield Fire Department that resulted in criminal charges. We are firm believers in the principal of “innocent until proven guilty” and the purpose of this petition is not to pass judgement on the accused, but simply for the Fire Commission to clarify in open session at their next meeting: 

• Was the accused on duty during the alleged incident and was the public safety of our town impacted in any way?  
• If he was on duty, why have you, as chair of the Fire Commission, not called a special meeting to investigate and remediate this potentially serious matter?  
• Were all members of the Fire Commission immediately notified of this incident and, if not, why?  
• Can you explain how the chain of command was impacted by this incident and how decisions were made to maintain it if it was?  
• Could you please clarify the status of the accused with the department? Is he on voluntary leave or suspended?
• Can you explain to us how any potentially serious personnel issues like this one will be dealt with in a responsible and transparent manner in the future?  

We the undersigned are concerned about public safety and call upon the Fire Commission to be transparent and accountable in this serious matter.