Elynore Shapiro pins the chief's badge on her son, Leigh, the newly appointed Hartford Deputy Fire Chief. Looking on are (l to r) Assistant Chief Reggie Freeman, Fire Chief Edward Casares, and City of Hartford Mayor Pedro Segarra.

Leigh H. Shapiro of West Hartford is the newest deputy fire chief in the City of Hartford, and the first Jew to achieve the position.
A 23-year veteran firefighter, Shapiro earned an Associate’s degree in fire science, then went on to Charter Oak State College to complete a BA in public safety administration. Two years later, in 2009, he earned a Master’s degree in executive fire service leadership from Grand Canyon University.
Before graduating, Shapiro took the written exam for deputy fire chief, receiving the highest score of all applicants. He completed the oral board exam a year later. In March, an opening was created when the deputy was promoted to assistant fire chief, and Shapiro became deputy fire chief. He also served as acting tour commander, the deputy chief in charge of the department’s day-to-day operations
Shapiro says that his religion has never gotten in the way of his profession. Not that he hasn’t heard his share of comments.
“Anywhere you go, you’ll have somebody with a big mouth or who thinks they’re funny,” he says. “Maybe early on in the late ‘80s or early ‘90s, there were some older guys who had an attitude problem, but more recently, not: everybody knows I’m Jewish.”
The department has grown more diverse over his tenure, Shapiro says, and there is a focus on diversity training and sensitivity to others’ backgrounds. In addition to Shapiro, there are three firefighters in the department who identify as Jewish, including his brother Scott and son Ashley, who is entering the last year of the public safety administration program at Charter Oak State College.

Hartford Deputy Fire Chief Leigh Shapiro with his son Ashley who is also a firefighter.

“Some people say that a Jewish guy would be a doctor or a lawyer, so I ask them, ‘Who puts the fires out in Israel?’ and they laugh,” Shapiro says. “But there are still things people may think about Jewish firefighters on the job – but that’s because they’re not familiar with the religion.”
Just as attitudes toward minorities have changed, Shapiro says that he has also seen a significant transformation in the department’s training and focus, brought on by the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. Now, firefighting policies and tactics address terrorism and weapons of mass destruction, and large-scale incidents.
“The fire-service paradigm has shifted,” he says. “It’s gone from, ‘That can’t happen here’ to preparing from anything and everything. Our emphasis now is on being able to immediately address situations, as opposed to waiting for a specialized team. We’re now getting there first and making an earnest and positive attempt to mitigate a situation.”