Groton — The Town Council decided Tuesday to explore the possibility of creating town fire marshal and town fire inspector positions to prepare for the work associated with building new schools, refurbishing Fitch Middle School and tackling economic development projects.

The two positions would have to be created first, and Public Safety Committee members said they would seek the input of fire marshals in Groton's various fire districts before making a recommendation.

Councilor Rich Moravsik said he and Councilor Dean Antipas brought the idea forward on behalf of the Public Safety Committee. 

If the jobs are created, the committee intends to fill them after an employee leaves or retires so as not to increase the total number of town employees, Moravsik said. He said he wasn’t sure what the salary would be for each position, but it could be in the area of $70,000 per year.

“The thing is, there’s going to be a lot of work for this guy for the next year or so and it takes time to get this guy on board," said Moravsik, chairman of the Public Safety Committee, said of the fire marshal.

Groton is considering a plan that would build one new middle school, two new elementary schools and demolish the two existing middle schools. The town is also considering whether to convert the Fitch Middle School building into town offices.

“The town itself should have a local fire marshal because of all the buildings that the town owns,” Moravsik said. “Because it puts an awful burden on the fire district fire marshals.”

Town Manager Mark Oefinger said a single fire marshal would create consistency in how the fire code is interpreted and applied.

Councilor Joe de la Cruz agreed. "I think a big component is the consistency across the board," he said. "You can interpret the book in ten different ways..." 

The town also would benefit from having a single point of contact for developers, de la Cruz said. "You go to Norwich and you go to one guy." 

A fire marshal should be a professional, or paid position rather than a volunteer one, he added.

Under the present system, Groton has nine fire districts and multiple fire marshals and inspectors, depending on location. Some fire districts have multiple people who can serve in the role while others have none and rely on a neighboring district.

For example, Groton Long Point does not have a fire marshal but relies on Noank for a fire marshal. Groton City has a fire chief, deputy chief and three captains certified to perform fire code inspections and other duties, Chief Nick Delia said.

He said it doesn’t make sense to expect two people to handle the work now being done by many.

"We're actually taking this work and distributing it rather than have one person trying to do it all," Delia said.

Antipas said he would not proceed unless the districts bought into the idea. Moravsik said the city and other districts could retain their fire marshals.

The change is meant to deal with developers frustrated by having to meet repeatedly with planning, zoning and the fire marshal’s office, Moravsik said. If the fire marshal worked for the town, the individual could be scheduled, he said.

But Delia said he meets jointly with the building and planning office already and did so earlier Tuesday. Delia said building or planning officials send him plans, and he or other inspectors review them and provide comments. Then the various officials meet as a team if needed, he said.

Oefinger said the intent is to create uniformity. It should not be perceived as a bailout for the Poquonnock Bridge Fire District, he said. That district has faced financial troubles in the past and covers a large commercial district, as well as most of the town-owned buildings in Groton.

d.straszheim@theday.com

Twitter:@DStraszheim