In a June 8th, 2006 editorial the Waterbury-Republican American addressed two distinctly different issues involving the Middlebury Volunteer Fire Department. One being the formation of an “oversight board”, and second, the editorial discussed our ladder truck which was purchased in 2000. I would like to comment on the ladder truck first and dispel some of the myths that have surrounded its existence.
Truck 1 is a 110 foot aerial ladder, not a 95 foot ladder as reported. The reason for the length of the ladder is “reach” not height. If a fire were to occur at Westover School, one of the principal ways students in some of the dormitories could be rescued would be by virtue of an aerial ladder that reaches from the street to the building. The recent fire at Steeplechase development was an example of the Middlebury Fire Department utilizing the “reach” of the ladder truck to cut critical ventilation holes through the roof of the structure while “attack firefighters” worked inside to extinguish the fire below.
The importance of this truck is becoming more evident as Middlebury continues to build and approve the building of numerous developments. Let’s take one of the planned developments as an example. Straw Pond is a development of approximately 240 units, a huge apartment style complex. The lay-out of the internal roads as well as the setbacks of the buildings themselves make it imperative that a ladder truck with at least a 100 foot reach be available. Not only would we need our truck for Straw Pond, but for other residences currently on the drawing boards.
The notion that the old Truck 1 never fought a fire is just not true. It was used at many calls during its life with our department. In fact the Republican-American published a photo of our ladder being used to battle a structure fire on Nichols Road several years ago. As far as taxpayers somehow being fooled into funding a new truck in 2000, spending $550,000.00 when they only had to spend $50,000 is just not accurate. The $50,000 was to fix the aerial ladder itself, which had been determined unsafe. It was not a price for refurbishing the entire vehicle. It would not have been wise for the Town to spend $50,000 on a piece of apparatus that was already 30 years old. At that time First Selectman St. John agreed, which is why he approved its replacement.
Selectman Elaine M.R. Strobel was quoted by the paper saying that the Chief was going off on tangents, - the assumed reason why an "oversight board” was being formed. I respectfully disagree. I contend that it was the Board of Selectman that not only was going off on tangents, but sending this Department on a bureaucratic wild goose chase. Our first meeting with the Board of Selectman was to ascertain the status of the stalled plans to replace Engine 2 that had been started at least 2 1/2 years earlier. This plan was blessed by First Selectman Ed St. John enough so that we could acquire written specifications from apparatus venders. Instead of getting answers from the Board, we were told we did not have a “global plan”, and that we should look at replacing or refurbishing the Rescue truck as well. That was fine with us. The Rescue needs to be replaced. We returned to the next meeting with the requested “global plan” as detailed in a “white paper” that outlined what this plan was. We were then asked about upgrading the entire department’s radio system to high-band. To us that was not relevant to why we came to the Board in the first place. They then asked for a complete inventory of all fire department equipment down to individual tools. In addition the department’s position was to replace the Rescue truck instead of refurbishing it. Mr. St. John requested we “bring in the experts” to evaluate if it were feasible to refurbish the 1979 Rescue Truck. So we did. The third meeting we provided this information. We gave them everything they asked for and more. We were then told we were going off on tangents, and thus we now come to this “oversight board.”
As Fire Chief, I have long been aware of the need for an independent look at our department through the eyes of an expert. By “expert” I mean someone trained in the field of Fire Prevention/Suppression not a group appointed by politicians. Yes, I realize that Ed St. John was once a Fire Chief in Middlebury; that was long ago, long before 9/11 and long before the building boom in town came about. I saw the need for a dispassionate analysis of the needs of this community and the ability of our Department to respond to such needs as the town grew and is growing at an unprecedented rate. I invited one of the best known Fire Consultants on the east coast of the United States to come to Middlebury. This gentleman had just done such a Fire Department study in Woodbury, CT, which not only served that town well but led to a large Federal Grant for the current fiscal year.
The First Selectman is aware of my willingness and that of my Department to utilize the services of a competent, professional Emergency and Fire Protection consultant to provide a dispassionate analysis of the needs of this community. The Board of Selectmen chose not to engage the services of this or any other professional but instead chose to turn the matter of fire and emergency services needed by our townspeople into a political charade. I am not opposed to an objective study of the Middlebury Volunteer Fire Department by an independent, qualified, competent individual. What we at the Firehouse object to is placing issues of the health and well being of those we serve into the hands of possibly well meaning but untrained individuals. An Oversight Board as envisioned by Mr. St. John would serve no purpose other than to further fan the flames of political unrest already engulfing Middlebury. This town is growing at a fearful rate and no longer resembles the little town that many of us remember. Let’s act responsibly and hire professionals to evaluate the needs of the Middlebury Volunteer Fire Department. The safety of our families is too important to be left to politicians and their politics.