By Michael P. Walsh
Special to the Voice
Mayor Dorinda Borer on Feb. 6 swore in Rick Fontana as the city’s new emergency management director.
Borer administered the oath of appointment to Fontana, 65, of West Haven, in the mayor’s office at City Hall. He succeeds Joseph Soto, who held the EMD position for four years.
Fontana previously served as New Haven’s emergency operations director for 16 years.
Borer said Fontana, who earned a Master of Science in national security and public safety from the University of New Haven, is widely regarded as an expert in the field of emergency management.
“Rick’s network crosses local, regional, state and federal governments, and he has had great success in securing grants and creating state and federally required plans,” Borer said. “His working knowledge of the Federal Emergency Management Agency is needed and will be an essential benefit for West Haven’s emergency preparedness.”
Fontana is a retired West Haven firefighter/paramedic. He is a commissioner of the state Commission on Fire Prevention and Control, representing the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities, and is the federal operations section chief for the state Division of Emergency Management and Homeland Security.