The appointment of Col. Steven Pare is temporary. Governor Carcieri says he has no timetable for choosing someone permanent.

01:00 AM EST on Thursday, December 29, 2005

BY MARK ARSENAULT
Journal Staff Writer

PROVIDENCE -- Rhode Island State Police Col. Steven Pare will take temporary control of the state fire marshal's office, until the governor decides on a permanent replacement for Irving J. Owens, the former marshal who retired this month after more than 10 years on the job, Governor Carcieri's office said yesterday.

Pare, the state police superintendent, will not run the office day to day; he delegated that responsibility to state police Lt. John Blessing, who begins his new temporary assignment this morning. Blessing, 43, a longtime detective, is a 20-year state police veteran, said Maj. Steven O'Donnell, a spokesman for the department.

Blessing does not have firefighting experience, O'Donnell said. "We're bringing his management skills to that organization . . .until [Carcieri] finds a full-time person," he said. Blessing will "provide leadership and direction" to an agency under close scrutiny since the 2003 fire at The Station nightclub in West Warwick, which killed 100 people and injured 200 others. Blessing has worked on The Station nightclub investigation, O'Donnell said.

Owens announced his retirement Dec. 16, after working for more than a year after his appointment had expired. Carcieri did not reappoint Owens, though allowed him to continue in the job as a search committee appointed by the governor solicited applications and interviewed candidates for marshal, including Owens, who applied to keep the post. The panel concluded that Owens was the best person among three top picks for the post, a revelation that angered many victims of The Station fire. One survivor organized a petition to urge Carcieri to get a new state fire marshal.

Victims and their families have said that Owens is ultimately responsible for the failure of local inspectors, who are trained by his office, to cite flammable packing foam used inside The Station as soundproofing. That foam ignited from a fireworks display during a rock concert, and quickly spread flame through the wooden roadhouse packed with people, on Feb. 20, 2003.

Owens has insisted that inspectors were properly trained. He maintained the support of the Rhode Island Association of Fire Chiefs.

Carcieri announced no timetable yesterday for appointing a permanent fire marshal. He is having "internal discussions" about how to proceed, and is reviewing the work of the search panel, said Carcieri spokesman Jeff Neal.

Blessing will continue to be a Rhode Island State Police officer, who will report, through the chain of command, to Pare, said O'Donnell.