Montville – Fire Marshal Bill Bundy resigned Sunday evening. 

His resignation letter, addressed to Mayor Ron McDaniel, was terse. 

“This letter is to notify you that effective today, Sunday, January 10, 2021, I am resigning from my position as Town of Montville Fire Marshal, Emergency Management Director, Emergency Communications Director and Supervisor of the paid career firefighters,” he wrote. “As required, I am providing you two weeks’ notice, making my official last day of service on Friday, January 22, 2021. I have accrued ten days’ vacation time, which I expect will be paid out in full upon my separation of service. All town-owned property issued to me will be returned prior to my departure.” 

The town’s fire marshal since 2018, Bundy’s relationship with the volunteer fire companies and McDaniel had soured recently. 

Bundy and volunteer members were at odds, in part because of a proposal to make Montville’s paid firefighting staff into a formal fire department, a measure Bundy supports.

Bundy was also the town’s emergency management director. He was responsible for code compliance and enforcement, fire investigations, supervising paid firefighters, coordinating with volunteers and managing the town's communications systems and dispatchers.  

In a statement to The Day, Bundy said that during his two and a half years in Montville he’s made every effort to carry out the responsibilities and duties of his positions.

 “I have worked tirelessly with all stakeholders including town officials, public safety members, career and volunteer firefighters and dispatchers in an effort to improve the fire and EMS services to the taxpayers and visitors to the town of Montville,” he said. “The town has an outstanding paid career fire department who, on a daily basis, risk their lives to provide a service to the community, which is second to none.”

Bundy referenced a rift between him and McDaniel as one of the reasons for his departure.

“The mayor and I have a difference of opinion with regards to fire and emergency services within the town, and because of that I felt it was best to step aside,” he said. 

McDaniel did not respond to requests for comment. 

Bundy ended his statement with a plea: “It is my hope that the elected officials of the town of Montville make an effort to protect, acknowledge and recognize the highly trained and capable career firefighters for the outstanding work they do.” 

Bundy had spent three decades in law enforcement, including eight years based in Montville as a leader in the State Police Eastern District Major Crimes Unit, before assuming his roles in Montville. He began his career as a police officer in Norwich in 1985 and later became a detective. After a rash of fires in the city in the mid-1990s, Bundy underwent training and "ultimately hooked up with the Norwich Fire Marshal's office and gained a lot of experience," he said. 

He earned a fire marshal certification in 1996 and served various assignments as a state trooper and sergeant, including several years in Montville with the Major Crimes Unit. 

In 2013, Bundy transferred to the State Police Fire and Explosion Investigation Unit and as acting commanding officer supervised 15 detectives serving municipalities throughout the state. He retired in 2016 and joined a private security firm, but said he "missed the public safety side." 

Bundy commented on animosity among Montville’s fire/emergency services stakeholders. 

“It doesn’t have to be this way, we’re all supposed to be working collectively, and unfortunately, we don’t share the same vision,” he said.

 s.spinella@theday.com