Waterford residents speak out against fire district staffing changes
Concerned and upset Waterford residents spoke out against staffing structure changes in their fire districts during informal, separate and simultaneous meetings Saturday morning at the Goshen Fire Department and the Quaker Hill Fire Company.
“This could be death or life,” said Dee Burdick, who attended the Goshen meeting with her husband, John, who suffers from muscular dystrophy. Burdick addressed the crowd, saying, “I call (this station) more than anyone. John has had a heart attack and fallen in the shower. The firefighters here are phenomenal and they know all of us. They show up off-duty to help. I’m very worried that we won’t get the same care.”
The structural changes, which go into effect today, move one full-time firefighter position from Goshen and one from Quaker Hill to rotating shift positions at the other three districts in Waterford. This means Goshen and Quaker Hill will be staffed exclusively by a combination of volunteer and paid part-time firefighters.
The changes were announced in early December by First Selectman Daniel Steward and Director of Fire Services Bruce Miller after a Representative Town Meeting approved a new four-year contract with the Waterford Professional Firefighters Association.
The meetings were announced in a letter to citizens from the Goshen Chief Todd Patton and the Quaker Hill Chief Matthew Carson in which they expressed concerns that the personnel shift could result in potential delayed response in the two districts for those served by the two companies. The letter also said, “In the event that a Part Time Fire Fighter is not available then the Town will leave the Fire Station vacant.”
About 80 people attended the Goshen meeting and close to 100 appeared in Quaker Hill. While worries about whether citizens can still count on adequate coverage seemed to be the primary concern at both gatherings, questions ranged from detailed inquiries on budget appropriations to how much additional time it will take to get a response from the other Waterford fire stations. One person asked whether home mortgage rates could be raised as a result of the slimmed down staffing, and others wanted to know if there were staffing guarantees for the summer, when the Goshen population rises with summer visitors and kids attending Camp Harkness.
At both meetings, people wanted specific instructions on how best to galvanize public forces to overturn the decision. Petitions were available for signing, and copies of the Board of Finance meeting agenda for March 16 — including Item No. 3, discussion of Fire Services — were handed out.
“I’ve lived here 54 years, and we’ve needed these guys in my home for fire and ambulance services many times,” said Kerry Sullivan in Goshen. “It’s very important what they do, and they’re very much part of this community. And I just think a lot of these services will be delayed.”
Steward attended the Quaker Hill meeting. He fielded questions and spoke individually with citizens and firefighters.
“It was challenging,” he said afterward. “People have heartfelt concern for their safety. We have heartfelt concern for that, too. Our goal in making these changes is not to impact service, and we’re doing everything we can not to affect it. Most of these decisions were made for efficiency within the fire department and not so much because of economics.”
Patton, who stood in front of the crowd for an hour answering questions and coordinating commentary, said, “I’m not a politician, I’m just trying to do the best I can for my firefighters and the people in my district. Anyone who’s in this station — whether they’re full- or part-time or a volunteer — will do the best they can. But it’s also true there’s a certain familiarity and rhythm that comes with the job when you’re here all the time. You know where everything is and what might need attention at any given time. We know the people. And now I worry that, while calls can be very similar, sometimes the response is just going to be different.”
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