MINUTES
SPECIAL MEETING
BOARD OF PUBLIC SAFETY
MARCH 29, 2007
A SPECIAL MEETING of the Board of Public Safety was held in the Council Chambers on Thursday, March 29, 2007 to review the Fire Department’s
Master Plan.
Those in attendance included Mayor Ryan J. Bingham, members of the Board of Public Safety Christopher H. Cook, Richard L. Zaharek, Douglas J. Benedetto, James E. Potter, and Robert C. Zordan, Fire Chief John Field, Deputy Fire Chief Jaye Giampaolo and Torringford Volunteer Fire Chief Lawrence Dauphanais. Commissioner Michael Colangelo was absent.
Mayor Bingham called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m.
(The entire presentation may be heard on tape #221.)
Chief Field stated the Master Plan was formulated in September of 2006 to review future plans of the city. The city’s needs were reviewed in terms of life and property that needed to be protected, and the response time in all areas of the city. They also considered what their organization was made of, what resources were accessible, which back ups were available, etc.
Chief Field stated that the presentation is based on getting the public, the Board of Public Safety, and their people to buy into the Master Plan. The plan is a fluid, workable document, with room for modifications.
The Plan is broken down into four sections: Facilities, Apparatus or Equipment and Resources, Staffing, and Volunteers. The first two sections will be reviewed during this meeting. The last two will be addressed at a future meeting to be scheduled.
Chief Field noted that the Fire Department’s mission statement was modified slightly in 2001. Their vision is how the Fire Department can provide the customer with quality service. They are looking for ways to improve their service, and to project an image of professionalism, trust, and proficiency. The Plan takes advantage of their strengths and improves their deficiencies.
Chief Field said the Plan reviews standards and regulations which affect their services, i.e., the bargaining unit, OSHA, the NFPA, etc. They progressively try to reach those standards. The city’s Fire Department could become accredited, should it choose to do so.
FACILITIES #400
Headquarters, built in the late 70's, has approximately 22,000 square feet of use. It was built to house the Police Department as well as the Fire Department. The North End Fire station built in the early 1950's, has approx. 5,000 square feet. Both were built in industrial-based areas. They are located in commercial-based areas, as well as heavier residential areas. The west end of the city is a concern because of the age and capacity of the homes. Because the community has changed over the years, elderly housing and care facilities, the middle school, industrial parks, and the densely populated east side consisting of residential and commercial establishments, have to be reviewed.
Chief Field said they also reviewed the volunteer department facilities and how they can provide service from their current locations.
Headquarters on Water St. operates one engine and a truck company, with seven to nine line personnel. They also five or six staff members available at various times between 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Downtown redevelopment is a large consideration because the main headquarters has been designated as prime property for redevelopment. Discussions have taken place in regard to redevelopment and the options available to the fire department. The Downtown Redevelopment Plan has fire headquarters moving to the Center Street area; however, that‘s not definite. Discussions have also taken place in regard to the possibility of building two 10,000 or 15,000 square foot buildings rather than of one large building and trying to locate a station as far up the east side as possible, somewhere in the Route 4 and 202 intersection; however, that section is not part of the downtown redevelopment.
Mayor Bingham stated that fire headquarters was placed in the Center Street area just to show that it was being moved from Water Street and not taken out of the redevelopment altogether. The Center Street location was not a definite location.
Commissioner Cook said careful consideration will have to be given to the placement of any new fire stations so they won’t be obsolete in twenty years. The life expectancy of a fire house should be at least fifty years, so they have to try and predict what the city will be like in fifty years and whether or not it will maintain its integrity during those years.
Commissioner Potter thought it would be easier to locate property to build smaller, 3,000 or 4,000 square foot satellite stations, rather than one main fire headquarters.
Chief Field noted that cities like Boston have stations in the middle of a row of houses that blend right into the neighborhood. He noted that discussions were held in regard to having a 15,000 square foot Public Safety Complex on the east side of town to address all issues of public safety.
Commissioner Potter said he would prefer a small neighborhood station in the east end as opposed to a large complex.
Chief Field stated that the North End station houses two engines, one front line engine and one spare, with four people, including a lieutenant and three firefighters. It covers a large portion of the north end area including quick access to Burrville and the Newfield side of Drakeville. Access to Lakeridge from the North End station takes 10 to 12 minutes, and an additional two minutes for an engine from headquarters.
The three volunteer departments are owned by their respective fire departments. The city has no jurisdiction over them. The Torringford Volunteer Fire Department is approximately 3,000 square feet and they operate two engines and a utility vehicle.
The Burrville Volunteer Fire Department is approximately 4,000 square feet and run two engines, and a brush truck.
The Drakeville Volunteer Fire Department is 3,000 square feet and run two engines and a brush truck. They are in the process of searching for a new tanker; however, the size of the tanker the city feels they need won’t fit into their firehouse unless it’s custom made. It is proposed that Drakeville provide the rural water supply for the city, so obviously, this tanker is very important to the city. This is something that should be discussed.
Burrville recently modified their structure to accommodate their new truck.
With regard to the station locations, response times, etc., four stations were identified, giving them approximately 10,000 square feet of additional space. They anticipate a 15,000 square foot facility downtown that would house the administrative offices. The North End station will be maintained at its current location and size. Perhaps a 15,000 square foot public safety complex, built on the east side, would have a new dispatch center and house the volunteers, police, and the EMS. The Kennedy Drive/Torringford West St. area would be an ideal location.
Commissioner Potter asked if the goal was to try to keep one engine company available at all times?
Chief Field said the goal was to get an additional engine company available for whatever is needed.
A fire at Lakeridge reported by an alarm would get the Ladder truck and Engine 3. Engine 1 would stay back. The volunteers are on stand by for second alarms at Lakeridge. That puts them in quarters in case they are needed.
Deputy Chief Giampaolo explained that whenever they involve more than one engine company during the brush season, if they call for help and a second company comes in, they immediately call the volunteers. Firefighters are not called back until all volunteers have been notified. Obviously, if they were to dismount a second engine into the woods, they would have nothing left, so they call all three volunteer departments. That situation would be increased to a second alarm status.
Commissioner Potter thought they could ask the volunteers to expand their districts. During the last Fire Service Coordination Committee meeting, they discussed the possibility of overlapping their districts. That might be a way to keep the engine companies available from headquarters or the North End station.
Chief Field said the obvious concern to the Master Plan is that it’s very costly to build new facilities; however, options are available that could help reduce costs. Another concern is property acquisition opportunities that might become available.
Commissioner Potter said Tom Vannini suggested looking into the possibility of using the Torrington Company’s learning center, where there is plenty of office space, training rooms, warehousing space for trailers, etc.
Mayor Bingham noted that owners of the Timkin properties were looking to sell the property as a whole.
Chief Field said they might be able to combine some of these facilities and make them diverse enough to accommodate a couple different services. By taking advantage of our options, our costs might be substantially reduced.
Discussions with Torringford might take place to hear their ideas. Negotiations should begin.
Mayor Bingham said that’s why it’s good to have a Master Plan in place, so you know what you’re looking for when opportunities arise. He noted that the City Planner is aware that the city might be looking for open space in the future.
APPARATUS #2130
Chief Field indicated that apparatus is in a state where its process is being reviewed. He was certain he would have a chance to talk with the Consultant doing the overview on Vehicle Replacement to see if they agreed on where he thought they should be in terms of apparatus.
Chief Field stated that, when you talk about diverse apparatus, you talk about a piece being overweight and oversize. The more diverse a piece is, the more equipment you want it to carry. A vehicle shouldn’t be so diverse as to shorten its life expectancy. The biggest thing is to look at performance capabilities. Currently, Engine One is a 2000 vehicle, Engine Two is a 1989, Engine Five is a 1986, Ladder Two is a 1996, Rescue Eight is a 1982, Utility Six is a 1996, and TAC Unit is a 2005. The life expectancy of an engine is predicted to be 20 to 25 years. Chief Field believes that the last Vehicle Replacement Plan used 20 year life expectancies. The life expectancy of an engine can be extended if a second engine takes over part of the work load. As the fleet ages,
the cost to maintain them increases. The number of hours an engine is used is scrutinized more than mileage.
Chief Field believes the consultant is currently reviewing the utilization of each piece of apparatus in service, and still has to meet with department heads to access their needs.
Deputy Chief Giampaolo indicated that the basis of the Vehicle Replacement Plan was to replace vehicles while they still had value. He is an advocate of rotating vehicles rather than running them for twenty or thirty years. The original plan looked at having seven pumpers for the city; four for the career firefighters, and three for the volunteers.
The city has as many credits as it can get, in terms of its pumpers. They need to fill in some of the areas where they are short, and a tanker for rural water supply is one of those areas.
Commissioner Cook thought it would be easier to work with the volunteers if they were involved in the Master Plan.
Commissioner Potter said if Drakeville purchases a 3,000 gallon tanker, it won’t fit inside their station; therefore, if the city allows them to use the $30,000.00 to add onto their station, the city could purchase the truck and house it in Drakeville. The city would own the truck, but it would be housed in Drakeville and operated by Drakeville firefighters.
Chief Field thought they should have an idea where they want to go with their apparatus so their direction is clear when they meet with the consultant. He noted that the volunteers have been very cooperative in talking and working with the city.
The current assignment of each unit is: Engine One is front line at headquarters, Engine Two is a reserve unit at the North End station, Engine Three is the front line pumper at the North End station, Engine Five is a reserve unit at headquarters, Ladder Two, Rescue Eight, Utility Six, and TAC Unit all run out of headquarters. Car One is assigned to the Chief, Car Two is assigned to the Deputy Chief, Car Three is assigned to the Fire Marshal, Car Four is assigned to the Deputy Fire Marshal, and Car Six, the white van that can be utilized for the deployment of resources, is a multi-use vehicle which doesn’t go home with anyone.
Chief Field said one of his biggest issues is not having more than one ladder truck. It was his belief that Torrington should never be without a ladder truck and that it shouldn’t have to depend on Winsted and Litchfield when the ladder truck is down. At the same time, they don’t want to lose their capacity to roll out as a pumper. The way to address this matter is to decide whether or not the city can work with a “quint,” which is basically the combination of a ladder company and an engine company. Chief Field’s proposal is to have two quints and two pumpers with 1,000 gallon capacities, to prevent them from being without a ladder at any time. If a quint is in service, Drakeville will need a tanker because the quint will cut the water supply in half.
This is a concern in the outer areas of the city where hydrants are not available. Compartment space will also be lost in a quint.
Chief Field indicated that the two quints should be housed at headquarters and the East Side station, and the two engines should be housed at the North End and West Side station. This is in combination of their proposal that Burrville be a truck company support group.
Chief Field indicated that the city should have a heavy rescue vehicle in combination with a support vehicle at Torringford, as suggested in this proposal. TAC 9 would be sufficient for our needs if it was laid out differently and had a larger box on the back.
Commissioner Potter asked if it would be more practical to purchase the type of rescue they need for headquarters and relocate TAC 9 at Torringford in place of their spare engine.
Chief Field said that was an option: however, the vehicle would have to remain available for Homeland Security.
Commissioner Benedetto asked Chief Field if there was a short term solution for the east end of town.
Chief Field said they should first discuss every option that comes to mind with Torringford. Mayor Bingham, the chiefs, and several Commissioners should be involved in that process. It may be advisable to invite the Union to hear their ideas.
Mayor Bingham asked Chief Field to schedule a meeting with Torringford. He, as well as Commissioners Potter and Benedetto, wanted to be involved. It was up to the Chief if he wanted to invite the Union.
Chief Field thought it was important for the shift supervisor to have the ability to concentrate on resources in establishing an incident management system. In order for him to do that he needs to have his own vehicle.
Commissioner Cook asked if there were any resources available that could help us sell this Master Plan to the public.
Chief Field said speaking with our state and federal representatives would be appropriate to see what kind of assistance they can provide. Perhaps a communications facility would have more of a chance to obtain funding than a regular station; perhaps facilities could be combined. This is where keeping our options open will come in to play.
Mayor Bingham said a Master Plan already adopted by the Board of Safety will increase the chances of obtaining funds that won’t have to come from city taxpayers.
Commissioner Potter said they didn’t need to have a stand alone building; it could even be included in part of a commercial property.
Commissioner Zaharek said the city might have a greater chance of obtaining grants if the fire department was accredited. There are some accreditation agencies who understand that every department is not up to100 merit level. Even being “recognized” would be beneficial.
Chief Field said it would take two years to become accredited, and cost approximately $5,000.00.
Commissioner Potter indicated that their immediate concern was the east end coverage.
Commissioner Benedetto suggested talking with representatives from Stop
& Shop.
A future meeting will be scheduled to discuss Staffing and Volunteers.
ADJOURNMENT TAPE #2, #590
On a motion by Commissioner Benedetto, seconded by Commissioner Zaharek, the board voted unanimously to adjourn at 8:48 p.m.
ATTEST: JOLINE LeBLANC
ASST. CITY CLERK
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