Torrington fire officials visit Wallingford on fact-finding mission

[Geppetto 31]

Torrington fire officials visit Wallingford on fact-finding mission

By MIKE AGOGLIATI

Register Citizen

Friday, September 23, 2011

TORRINGTON – City officials described Friday’s trip to Wallingford to learn how that town’s paid fire department and volunteer fire departments coexist as a positive one.

Wallingford has one fire service consisting on about 60 paid firefighters and 40 volunteers. The department operates under one chief, but each of the town’s four volunteer stations maintain their own identity.

Torrington Deputy Fire Chief Gary Brunoli said Wallingford’s model was one Torrington officials hope to replicate in the future....

http://www.registercitizen.com/articles/2011/09/23/news/doc4e7d46721dfb0326497652.txt?viewmode=default

[SageVigiles 1,194]

I'm a volunteer in Wallingford, and I gotta say it works REALLY well there between career and volunteer. Obviously each volunteer house is a bit different, but I'm very happy where I am.

The difference I've noticed between Wallingford and other combination departments that I've been a part of and/or observed. Yeah, the volunteer officers can be in command, but that's not what makes it work, and I feel like this article focuses a little too much on that aspect.

The reason the volunteers in Wallingford can be in command, and the reason that everyone gets treated equally there is because of training. Volunteers are held to a specific training standard. If you don't meet that standard, you don't get on the rig. Period. We also had a voluntary OSHA assessment to identify gaps in what we do and what we train in. Basically the way it works now is there is a database run through HQ with everyone's names. If you don't make your mandatory trainings within 1 year of the last one (365 days exactly) you go offline until you make it up. We have quarterly live burns, I believe you have to make 1 per year. Officers are required (according to what OSHA told us) to receive additional training above the Firefighters, so we do that too. Since everyone is held to a standard and that standard is non-negotiable, the Shift Commander and the rest of the career department knows that the guys stepping off the truck have a reasonable idea of what they are doing and can be trusted to make intelligent decisions. Not only that, but we train WITH the career department. That way we know what they expect from us and they know what our capabilities, equipment and limitations are. There are certain things we take active roles in, and certain things we take support roles in (some of the special ops stuff, specifically) simply because we lack the equipment and training to do proficiently. So we maintain our training in how to best support the career staff on such a scene (IE: proper sizeup of a tech rescue incident, setting up an initial system, etc)

But in all honesty, we don't make a big deal out of the "who is in command" business, we don't really care as long as the person knows what the hell they are doing. Which is the way it SHOULD be everywhere.

Just for informational purposes, Wallingford runs the following:

Headquarters (Career)

Car 4 (Shift Commander - Captain)

Truck 1

Engine 2

Medic 1

Numerous Special Ops and spare vehicles

Station 1 (Career)

Engine 1

Rescue 3 (ALS pickup, runs from 9-6 on weekdays I believe)

Station 4 (Volunteer - Cook Hill Company)

Engine 4

I believe the HAZMAT pickup/trailer is stored here as well.

NOTE: Station 4 only runs from 6PM-9AM, staffed by volunteers from Company 5, due to a lack of volunteers at that company.

Station 5 (Volunteer - Yalesville Company)

Engine 5

Squad 5 ("Medium" sized engine, used for EMS, rescue, brush, service calls, etc)

Station 7 (Volunteer - North Farms Company)

Engine 7

Rescue 7 (Heavy Rescue)

Tanker 7

Station 8 (Volunteer - East Wallingford Company)

Engine 8

Squad 8

Light/Generator Tower

[Geppetto 31]

Torrington continues talks to use paid firefighters in volunteer station

October 22, 2011

MIKE AGOGLIATI

Register Citizen

http://www.registercitizen.com/articles/2011/10/22/news/doc4ea25a31bcdfd369105644.txt