Christine Dempsey
Journal Inquirer, Manchester, Conn.
(TNS)
Sep. 9—STORRS — The chief of the University of Connecticut’s fire department is on paid leave, a school spokesperson said Monday.
Stephanie Reitz, a UConn spokesperson, did not say why Fire Chief William Perez was placed on leave or how long it is expected to last.
“UConn does not comment on personnel-related matters,” Reitz said.
Perez could not be reached for comment.
The leave was in effect as of Friday, she said. During Perez’s absence, Deputy Chief Chris Renshaw will serve as acting chief.
Reitz said the leave is not disciplinary, but didn’t elaborate.
Discipline for firefighters and police officers typically follows an internal investigation, and when departments launch such investigations, the accused employee is generally taken off the job.
In addition to serving as chief of the University of Connecticut Fire Department, Perez is associate director of university safety, according to UConn’s website. He oversees three divisions: Fire operations, fire administration and the fire marshal unit, and he is responsible for educating the university on fire and life safety, as well as disaster preparedness, in addition to enforcing university safety codes, the website said.
A Bridgeport native and U.S. Navy veteran, Perez retired from the East Hartford Fire Department after 25 years of service, the website said. He had risen through the ranks to assistant chief.
In April 2023, he was inducted into the Connecticut Firefighters Association’s Hall of Fame.
Perez has been cited for other accomplishments over the years and has been the subject of internal reviews as well.
In 1994 and 1995, Perez was one of three firefighter/paramedics in East Hartford to win first place in a statewide emergency medical technician competition, the Hartford Courant reported.
He also was suspended without pay for one day in the fall of 1999 when he was acting chief medical officer for twice putting a knife to another firefighter’s neck during what the chief described as horseplay.
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