How old is too old to become a firefighter?

Aldermen will soon address a recently proposed amendment to state law that would cap the age of new police and firefighters in the city.

At the Sept. 27 Board of Aldermen meeting, the board voted to debate a request from Mayor Joe Curtatone to accept Chapter 31, section 58a of the state's General Laws, which would limit the hiring age of new firefighters and police officers to 32 years, with a four-year exception for veterans.

Calls to Firefighters Union Local 76 and the Somerville Police Department for comment were not returned.

There are two sides to the debate on this issue, according to city officials: on the one hand, hiring older firefighters who work for a few years and retire costs the city a great deal; on the other hand, by capping the age of new hires, the city is potentially cutting out a percentage of able recruits.

Somerville Fire Department Chief Kevin Kelleher said the city's force is getting up there in years. "The average age is 47-plus," he said.

Putting a cap on the age of new hires would bring that number down by deterring people in their 40s and 50s from entering the force with only 10 or 15 years of work left in them, Kelleher explained.

In 2002 and 2003, the Fire Department was reduced by 21 positions, and only five positions have been filled.

Six years before, the law governing firefighters' pensions was amended so that firefighters and police officers had to take a regular physical. "If they were not found fit, they were placed out of service to get back into shape," said Kelleher.

Kelleher said that they could not always fill the positions left vacant as a result, leaving the department emaciated. "This all started out of a good thought process to put together a healthy Fire Department," Kelleher said. "It wasn't funded properly."

Hiring younger firefighters also means less turnover and a more cohesive force.

"There's a certain amount of learned knowledge," Kelleher said.

He noted that the first five years on the job are spent learning, so if you get a younger recruit, that means they will be more productive for longer.

"A guy comes in at 25, you can mold him," Kelleher said, but, "if you take someone who's 50 or 55, and they'll be there until they're 65, they're not going to be productive employees."

Bringing in a 40- or 50-year-old firefighter also runs the risk of spending more money on pensions as well, especially as the risks for occupation-related health problems increase. "As you get into your 50's, your body starts saying, 'I'm tired,'" the chief said.

Ward 3 Alderman Tom Taylor, the chairman of the Committee for Legislative Matters, noted that the restrictions could be harsh. "I would hate to see a 33- or 34-year-old man or woman eliminated," Taylor said. "You may be eliminating qualified candidates."

He did agree that Kelleher's concerns about the economic effects of an older force are valid, and said that he would be willing to listen to Kelleher in committee before passing judgment.

"The chief is claiming that it's a burden on the pension system, that people would wait a couple of years and then retire," Taylor said, but "I want to get the figures. I've got to look at the bigger picture here."

"I can understand the chief's argument," Taylor said, but he stood by his historical stance against the age limit.

Tom Champion, city spokesman, said before the mayor passes judgment, he "wants the board to work on it."

When dealing with an aging workforce, Champion said, "You want to have a lot of vigor in these fields which are physically and mentally demanding." An older force might not be up to the challenges of the job, he said.

"This also helps ensure that we're bringing on a force that can have a full career before retirement," Champion added.

"There's a package of reasons" the aldermen should approve the law, Champion said.

Taylor said that the committee would not address the issue until later in October.

- Someville (Mass.) Journal