HAVERHILL, Mass. (AP) — A Haverhill firefighters union official says the city's mayor should be charged with murder for making cuts to the department he says were responsible for the death of a city woman in a blaze in her home.
Mayor James Fiorentini and the head of the city's public safety department responded by saying staffing had nothing to do with the death early Wednesday of 84-year-old Phyllis Lamot.
The Eagle-Tribune (http://bit.ly/xPHykd ) reports that Fiorentini called the murder charge by union official Todd Guertin "reckless and irresponsible," and noted that Guertin was not at the scene.
The mayor cut the rescue truck crew from three firefighters to one last week to cover a $200,000 deficit in the department's overtime budget.
Lamot's son said he doesn't accept understaffing as the reason for his mother's death.
___
Information from: Eagle Tribune, http://www.eagletribune.com
Comment Now: Post Your Thoughts & Comments on This Story
