(Editor’s Note: The following letter was read and then presented to the Belleville City Council at its regular meeting on March 16.)
Good evening, citizens of Belleville,
After 17 years of service with the Belleville Fire Department, it is with deep sadness that I submit my resignation, effective immediately. This decision has not come easily. My wife, children, and I have made countless sacrifices for this department and this community, and it is difficult to accept that it has come to this point.
Now that my resignation is official, I feel I can finally speak openly without fear of repercussions.
For the past year and a half, I have carried out every responsibility asked of me by the director and city council — performing the full duties of fire chief without the title or the pay. When the police chief resigned, an interim was appointed within three days. When the city manager was let go, an interim was appointed within hours. Yet when it came to the Fire Department — referred to by the director as the “red headed stepchild” — I was never asked to fill the role, despite already doing the work.
As a union member who was never formally appointed interim chief, I was restricted in what I could and could not do. The city took something that was functioning well and broke it.
Over the years, I have personally contributed thousands of dollars and countless hours to improve our station — at no cost to the city. I epoxied the bay floor, provided and installed a $6,000 furnace, donated furniture, built the benches and podium, and painted the entire common area. I installed a new kitchen and report room with flooring, saving the city more than $30,000. Despite all of this, the city treated these contributions as though they meant nothing.
The staff believed in my ability to lead them. They made that clear. Yet I was never given the opportunity — something I believe stems from personal feelings held by the mayor, who recently told me to “shut up” during a public meeting.
Even in the new city hall, the fire department remains excluded. The city manager and clerk sit at one table, the director of public safety and DPW at another, and no space was allocated for the fire chief. Once again, the fire department was pushed aside rather than included in leadership discussions.
Another concern is the hiring of consultant Gregg Flynn. The city paid $15,000 — $10,000 for a report and $5,000 for time as an embedded advisor beginning in December 2025. In March, the city extended this arrangement month to month. To date, Mr. Flynn has met with the fire staff only once, on Dec. 16, 2025. He has not contacted any firefighters or command staff since. The director claims he is reviewing our Standard Operating Procedures, yet those were updated in 2023, and no one in the department has been asked for input or shown any revisions.
The amount paid to Mr. Flynn in just three months exceeds what many of our firefighters earn in an entire year. Our firefighters receive no health insurance, no pension, and no paid time off — yet they continue to serve with pride.
It has become clear that the city’s leadership does not value loyalty, commitment, sacrifice, or respect for its employees. I served when we made less than minimum wage, and even now our staff averages under $9,000 a year. Recently, the city let a police officer go after 25 years of service over a $2 per hour raise.
Most of us do not live in this community, yet we take tremendous pride in protecting it. The question becomes: for what, if this is how we are treated?
I was willing to take on the chief’s position for the same pay as past chiefs — around $16,000 a year. Instead, the city now intends to pay nearly double for someone who may only push paperwork and may not be able to respond to calls in a reasonable time due to distance.
Another point worth noting is the Director’s recent statement that there were nine applicants for the fire chief position. If that is true, then — excluding myself –that leaves eight individuals who were supposedly eager to lead this department. Yet not one of those eight applied to join the department as a firefighter. That tells me everything I need to know: they wanted the title and the pay, not the responsibility, not the service, and not the community. Leadership should be earned through commitment and sacrifice, not pursued only when a higher paying position becomes available.
The department is now down to seven fully trained staff members, one with only fire certification, and one with no licenses.
I also want to clarify several points. My lieutenant and I wrote the 2025–2026 budget — not the director, who made only minor adjustments. The staff fought to reinstate duty crews — not the director. One of our fire fighters secured the turnout gear grant — not Mr. Flynn or the director. I pushed for the new lockers, requested the new code books, and asked for the floor mats.
Regarding the grant equipment: during the initial fitting, I was asked whether we needed safety vests. I said no — every staff member already has one, and we have eight more in storage. These vests cost about $95 each. Last week, I was told that 15 had already been ordered. When I asked why we were spending money on items we do not need, the response was, “Why not?”
For more than a decade as an officer, our department has taken pride in staying within budget and avoiding unnecessary spending.
To the firefighters I have had the honor of serving beside for the past 17 years: thank you for your dedication, sacrifice, and commitment to this community. I am proud of the work we have done together and the department we built. My hope is that the citizens of Belleville continue to support the men and women who respond when you call for help. They deserve leadership that supports them just as strongly.
Respectfully,
Former Assistant Chief
Christopher Zweng
Belleville Fire Department