By Martin B. Cassidy
Staff Writer

February 22, 2004

When an early morning blaze broke out Monday at a multimillion dollar home in northwest Greenwich, firefighters had to stretch 1.5 miles of hose to tap a pond for water, acting Fire Chief Joseph Benoit said. While they worked, flames spread rapidly and left the home a charred ruin.

In the past three years, the town has taken steps to dramatically improve fire protection in northern Greenwich, with the construction of the North Street firehouse, the expansion of the Banksville fire station and the installation of "dry" hydrants, Benoit said. But Monday's blaze underscored an enduring challenge for the department: Access to water remains a problem in all parts of the backcountry.

Last week, firefighters found the water in ponds near the residence at 56 Richmond Hill Road frozen solid, the result of an abnormally cold winter. While the two people sleeping inside managed to escape unharmed, the hourlong delay in finding water resulted in $3 million to $4 million of property damage, Benoit said.

"In the backcountry, where there is no hydrant system, it's a real problem," he said. "Unfortunately, there is not a lot of water up there."

During backcountry fires, the department dispatches all three of its 4,000-gallon tanker trucks to provide an initial blast of water. At the same time, according to department policy, firefighters seek other water sources.

Big blazes may require as much as 800,000 gallons of water to extinguish, Benoit said, so using the tankers "only buys time" for firefighters to find other water nearby.

While fire officials recognize that relying on ponds, streams and swimming pools to fight backcountry blazes can be dicey, there is no clear-cut remedy for the backcountry's water shortage, they said.

"You do the best you can under the circumstances," Benoit said. "You can't tell the Board of Estimate and Taxation you want to buy $250,000 tanker trucks because there might be a terrible winter. They won't go for it."

Firefighters from the Banks-ville station at 33 Bedford Greenwich Road, north of the Merritt Parkway, have mapped the locations of water sources, including swimming pools, in northeast Greenwich, said George Whitmore, president of the Northeast Greenwich Asso-ciation, which represents about 3,500 homeowners.

"Since the North Street firehouse went in, that has assuaged many concerns in our area, and the Banksville Fire Department has added a significant amount of protection," Whitmore said. "But northwest Greenwich is not quite as well covered as we are."

Joan Caldwell, a director for the Northwestern Greenwich Association and a Riversville Road resident, said people living in her area have sky-high insurance rates as well as greater risk.

"It's very expensive, and some insurance companies won't even write you fire insurance unless you have an automatic alarm system," said Caldwell, a District 10/North-west delegate to the Represen-tative Town Meeting.

Members of the association would like the town to acquire property on King Street to build a new firehouse and require developers building mansion-sized homes to include water-storage systems that could be used to fight fires, she said.

"When new houses are under construction, it is relatively cheap to install the system," Caldwell said. "If you're building a home that is 10,000 square feet, installing a water containment system is pocket money."

When new backcountry homes are built, Benoit requests an apparatus be installed on swimming pools that firefighters can plug into to fight fires.

The fire department is awaiting a report evaluating fire protection in town, Benoit said. A favorable report from the Jersey City, N.J.-based ISO, an independent rating organization, could result in a reduction in homeowners' insurance rates, he said.

When the town was last evaluated by the company, in 1990, Greenwich received a split rating of 5/9 out of 10, with 1 signifying the best protection. Most areas received a 5 rating, but the backcountry received a 9 because of the lack of hydrants. "We'll have to see if we meet the requirements to get a reduction," Benoit said.

Over the past three years, the Greenwich Fire Department has been installing dry hydrants in the backcountry, Benoit said. Dry hydrants connect to ponds, streams or groundwater. In turn, pumper trucks connect to the hydrants, minimizing the distance firefighters must run lines.

The department would like to add eight to 10 new dry hydrants in the backcountry in the near future, but finding property owners willing to grant the town the right to install the devices can be difficult, Benoit said.

"Some people are receptive, but others are worried about the intrusion into their property," he said.

Copyright © 2004, Southern Connecticut Newspapers, Inc.