Fire Chief Presents His Case

March 29, 2002

By Kirk Lang

Some may think the trial closing of the Green's Farms firehouse is a financial issue. That is not the case, according to Fire Chief Richard Gough, who spoke to residents at Wednesday's Brown Bag Luncheon meeting.

He said the decision is prompted by the need to increase the number of on-duty staff for fire engines outside of fire headquarters responding to calls. Currently, the Green's Farms, Saugatuck and Coleytown stations only have two on-duty staff per engine. Assistant Chief Mark Gurrier said "two is grossly undermanned."

If there is a car fire on the Post Road, a Green's Farms fire engine will be assisted by one from either Saugatuck or Coleytown. When the Green's Farms firehouse closes and its two on-duty staff are deployed to the other stations, both Saugatuck and Coleytown will have three firefighters on an engine, eliminating the need to have two engines respond to a car fire. The Westport Fire Department responds to roughly 3,600 calls a year. A little more than a 1,000 originate from the Green's Farms area.

While the National Fire Protection Association recommends four on a vehicle, Gough made a request to the administration a few years back for additional personnel that would have provided four people on a vehicle "at each of our four engine companies," said Gurrier. The request was for 16 personnel. Last year, however, the town only provided funds in its budget for four firefighters.

"Last year's budget only brought us one more per shift," said Gurrier.

Gough told the Town Hall crowd on Wednesday that having only two men increases the risk of injuries to firefighters. "Our injuries are consistent with what is seen throughout the country," he said. "We want to measure the benefits."

The Green's Farm station is slated to close on July 1 for a one year trial period. Gough said much was taken into consideration before reaching the decision. He said the response time from headquarters will be less than the time it takes to get to Saugatuck Shores and added that it only takes two minutes to reach the Green's Farms station.

Gough said the decision was partly necessitated due to the fact the town did not have the room in its budget to hire the personnel requested. "We accept the fact the town can't pay for everything we ask for," he said. However, because of that, "the department has had to seek an alternative outcome.

"I'm convinced this is the right decision to go to seek three people on an apparatus."

Brown Bag regular Nancy Coley said she's very opposed to the closing of the station. She believed once it closes, though it has been stated it will only be a trial period, it will never be opened up.

"That's the story of Westport," she said. In the 1970s, a fire station on Wilton Road was closed down. It has never been reopened. The former fire station now serves the public as DeRosa's restaurant.

"We reduced the number of stations in the '70s," said Gough. "We ran five but we only had one person on four of them."

Gough said the latest reduction will have no impact on the town's insurance rating. While Gough said the number of calls that turn out to be serious structure fires is relatively small in number, a West Parish Road resident was still concerned about the closing. Whenever someone calls for a medical emergency, EMS, the Westport Police Department and the fire department all respond. Each department's personnel are training in lifesaving skills. With EMS and police in the same building downtown, Nixon was concerned the response time to serious medical calls would be lengthened, when every second and minute is crucial.

Gough said he did not believe the closing of the station would put any Green's Farms residents in any more danger, since at any given time, there are various police units patrolling the streets all over town that could respond in a more timely manner than the fire department.

"Police are mobile," said Gough. Still, First Selectwoman Diane Goss Farrell told those in attendance she is exploring the possibility of placing an EMS crew in the Green's Farm area during peak hours.

"I would like to have a response vehicle still in the neighborhood," she said.