BIDDEFORD — Police and fire commissioners unanimously told city officials during a workshop at City Hall Wednesday night that they oppose hiring a public safety director in Biddeford.

“My sense is that it’s off the table now,” Mayor Alan Casavant said after the discussion, although he indicated no official decision has been made, and he will have to discuss things with the rest of the council. Only five of the city’s nine councilors were present at the workshop.

After Joseph Warren retired as Biddeford’s fire chief in March, the idea of hiring a public safety director, who would oversee the the city’s police, fire and codes departments, was put on the table. Police and fire commissioners discussed the idea with the City Council during a meeting last month.

At the beginning of Wednesday’s workshop, Casavant passed out a list of pros and cons he had come up with regarding hiring a public safety director. For example, “Improved cooperation, coordination and efficiency between the FD, PD, and Codes” was listed as a pro, while “Possible negative impact on morale within departments” was listed as a con.

But when commissioners got a chance to speak, not one championed straying from the traditional two-chief system.

“I’m against hiring this person,” Fire Commissioner Rick Laverriere said bluntly.

Fire Commissioner Roger Gelinas said he sees no need to change a system that is efficient and “highly regarded throughout the state.” Gelinas said the police commissioners he had spoken with agree.

“You need a chief of each department. Without chiefs things start to crumble,” said Fire Commissioner Ray Moreau. “I’m 100 percent behind having a chief of the fire department and having a chief of the police department.”

Councilor Michael Swanton said he had originally felt it was worth looking into hiring a public safety director, but now he realizes it wouldn’t work. “The commissions are dead set against it, and you can’t make it work if they’re dead set against it,” he said.

Councilor Clement Fleurent said he agreed with Swanton, but he also doesn’t want to hire another fire chief. Instead, he said he would like to see one of the three deputy chiefs step into the role. Deputy Chief Scott Gagne is currently serving as the interim chief.

“That would be ideal, as far as I’m concerned,” said Fleurent. Councilor Michael Ready later said he also supported having one chief and two deputy chiefs at the Biddeford Fire Department.

Fire commissioners responded to that point by saying the three deputy chiefs are overworked as it is.

When councilors pointed to the fact that Saco only employs one chief and two deputy chiefs, commissioners were quick to point out that the BFD responds to more calls than the Saco Fire Department. One commissioner said that with many businesses and organizations located in Biddeford, such as the University of New England and Southern Maine Health Care, the city is a service center whose population can swell to much higher than 20,000.

Gagne said the city added a fourth administrative position at the department about four years ago, and it would not be wise to take it away.

“When you gave us those positions, they were needed,” he said. “They’re still needed. … Calls have gone up.”

Casavant said that, moving forward, he will reach out to city officials in Saco to discuss the possibility of hiring a chief to oversee both cities’ departments. But fire commissioners don’t seem to be on board with that idea either.

“That appears to have no traction and would be a strategic nightmare for us to establish,” said Gelinas. “The Saco River’s a lot wider than it appears, I think.”

Gagne echoed that sentiment. “It would be difficult and challenging and I question how long it would take for us to recover from it,” he said. “We are two distinctly different departments.”

— Staff Writer Angelo J. Verzoni can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 329 or averzoni@journaltribune.com.