Norwich receives eight proposals for fire services study
Norwich — The city received eight proposals, all from out of state, ranging in price from $38,500 to $93,000 by Friday’s deadline from consultants interested in conducting an in-depth study of the city’s fire services sought by the Democratic majority on the City Council.
The council voted 4-3 along party lines May 4 to seek proposals for the study of everything from equipment and apparatuses to response times, mutual aid assignments, staffing and the six fire department buildings.
Mayor Peter Nystrom and the two fellow council Republicans objected to spending money on a study during the COVID-19 economic downturn. Representatives from the city’s five volunteer fire departments also had voiced strong objections to the study during recent meetings.
City Purchasing Agent Robert Castronova said the city committee that put together the request for proposals will meet next week to review the proposals. Price will not be the sole determining factor in assessing them, he said. Committee members are City Manager John Salomone, Castronova, city Comptroller Josh Pothier, city acting Fire Chief Keith Wucik and Yantic Volunteer Fire Chief Frank Blanchard.
Recommendations will be brought to the City Council for consideration. Aldermen in favor of the study said the cost and scope of services would be paramount in whether they would support authorizing the study.
The city received proposals from: AP Triton of Sacramento, Calif.; McGrath Consulting of Wonderlake, Ill.; Matrix Consulting Group of Boston; Emergency Services Consulting International of Chantilly, Va.; Public Consulting Group of Boston; Manitou Inc. of Peekskill, N.Y.; Management Advisory Group of Fairfax, Va., and CGR Inc. of Rochester, N.Y.
The controversial study was proposed after aldermen said they had become frustrated with the lack of progress on what was to be an in-house analysis of how the city could reduce fire apparatuses over time by reworking mutual aid responses and phasing out older vehicles as new ones are purchased.
“None of us want to go forward if it’s going to be cost prohibitive,” Democratic Council President Pro Tempore Mark Bettencourt said during the May 4 debate.
During debate, Republican Alderman William Nash said he was “100% behind the study,” saying there are areas of the fire services that need to be examined. But Nash voted against seeking the request for proposals before knowing the COVID-19 pandemic's financial impact on the city.
Fellow Republicans Nystrom and Alderwoman Stacy Gould objected. Gould argued against spending any money when the city already has the information. She said the council should instead direct the city manager to work with the one paid and five volunteer chiefs to conduct the study.
Democratic Alderman Joseph DeLucia said the council's Public Safety Committee tried to get an in-house study, with an apparatus reduction schedule and mutual aid response, and the committee received only a list of six new firetrucks requested.
When Gould asked what price would be considered prohibitive, Bettencourt said each alderman will have to decide whether to support the study depending on the services to be provided and the cost.
Comment threads are monitored for 48 hours after publication and then closed.
