Brookline’s fire chief returns after investigation

By DAMIEN FISHER, InDepthNH.org

Brookline Fire Chief Charlie Corey returned to duty this week after a months-long suspension and internal investigation.

Corey was placed on leave without public explanation on December 18, 2023, and reinstated in the same manner on Tuesday. When asked by InDepthNH.org, Corey declined to discuss the reasons for his leave.

“I’m just not going to comment on it,” Corey said.

Although the city has launched an investigation into the as-yet-unpublished allegations against Corey, the process used in the investigation raises questions. When asked, Corey told InDepthNH.org that the Brookline Fire Ward Board, also known as the Board of Fire Engineers, conducted the investigation.

The fire board is the hiring and firing authority for the fire department, although there are conflicts within it. For example, Fire Chief David Joki was the deputy fire chief and reported to Corey when Corey was escorted out of the fire station in December. Joki then took over as interim fire chief.

However, Joki told InDepthNH.org that it was the city’s district attorney who investigated the allegations against Corey.

“Everything was done legally,” said Joki.

Although there is a report and a solution to the investigation, Joki declined to comment on details.

“These are all personnel matters and we cannot answer them,” said Joki.

Making the picture even murkier is that City Manager Scott Butcher resigned from his post in February. Select committee member Brendan Denehy took over the job on an interim basis, and it’s not clear if the investigation into Corey was complete at that point. Denehy did not respond to a request for comment.

According to the Select Committee meeting minutes from January 29, several weeks before Butcher’s departure, the Select Committee and the Fire Safety Committee were jointly responsible for the investigation. The two committees agreed to hire an outside investigator to conduct interviews and submit a report with the findings.

The investigation was still ongoing on Jan. 29 when the board discussed a legal situation involving firefighter David Santuccio. According to the minutes, Santuccio was observed discussing the investigation with Joki at the fire station. Although Santuccio denied making any comments about Corey, aldermen barred him from entering the fire station for the duration of the investigation. Santuccio could not be reached Wednesday.

The nature of the allegations is unknown, but when Corey was placed on leave on Monday, Dec. 18, 2023, a Brookline police officer was present while Corey left the fire station, Joki said last year. At the time, Joki told InDepthNH.org the officer’s presence was normal given the situation, but did not comment on the specifics.