Springfield Fire Chief Gary Cassanelli has been reluctant to talk about the Elm Street fire in detail. For one thing, he said in a recent interview, Springfield counts on Holyoke and other area fire departments as partners in fighting big fires throughout the region. And, Cassanelli said, he wasn't there. Though he had hoped the controversy would soon quiet down, Cassanelli has heard that a political candidate in Holyoke is trying to make an issue of water. Though he said he has no reason to believe Holyoke lacked water at Elm Street, he did not fault Smith for raising the question.
Water is a critical issue.
Obviously, there isn't a fire chief anywhere who would disagree. In a recent interview, Coan said that his letter was not intended as either an endorsement or a critique of the HFD's handling for the Elm Street fire. The actual firefighting techniques, and questions of water, is not part of their investigation, and that's not an area I'm going to be drawn into. In a recent interview in HFD headquarters on Maple Street, LaFond said his department has already reviewed its handling of the Elm Street fire. We spent three and a half hours going over it.