Retired firefighter submits comp claim, seeks new career

A retired fire chief wants his workers comp and a police job, too.

Former Fairfield, Connecticut, Fire Department Chief Richard Felner filed for workers compensation several days before he retired on Oct. 1, after 55 years on the job, according to the Fairfield Citizen.

Two days later the town denied his claim, which was filed within the statutory guidelines and cited injury to both knees from “repetitive lifting, bending, twisting, climbing, walking and multiple individual trauma,” according to the newspaper.

He then applied to work as a special police officer with the Fairfield Police Department. His application is pending medical clearance, the article states.  

At a pay rate of $14.01 per hour, special police officers are not certified and do not have arrest powers, according to the Fairfield Police Department’s website. The work includes parking enforcement and security, community policing patrols downtown, and traffic detail.

Mr. Felner receives a pension of $126,776 per year, according to the article.