Panel rejects fire funds

By Martin B. Cassidy
Staff Writer

May 8, 2004

Asking for more specifics on how the money would be spent, the Representative Town Meeting's Finance Committee recommended the RTM cut $500,000 earmarked to address safety and staffing problems in the Greenwich Fire Department.

An outside panel of three fire chiefs identified the problems after analyzing firefighting operations during a December blaze in which three firefighters were seriously injuried.

The Representative Town Meeting of Greenwich is scheduled to vote on the town's $288 million budget at 8 p.m. Monday at Central Middle School.

After a presentation by Fire Chief Daniel Warzoha on Monday, the RTM Finance Committee voted unanimously to cut the additional $500,000 First Selectman Jim Lash added to the budget in March. Finance Committee Chairman Joshua Brown said the group wanted more detail from Warzoha on how the money would be spent.

"The feeling was we were appropriating money for something that was not very well defined," Brown said. "We hope the fire department returns in June or September with more specifics so the RTM could better understand what they are doing."

Three firefighters were seriously injured in the Dec. 5 blaze at 312 Davis Ave. when they were forced to jump from a third-story window to escape flames. A panel of three Connecticut fire chiefs reviewed the firefighting operations and in February recommended changes to improve safety and operations in the department.

Mark Dawson, chairman of the RTM's Town Services Committee, which unanimously approved the fire department budget, said the chief's general explanation of how the funds would be spent should have been sufficient.

"If this is the route that they have chosen to take to make change in the department, we want to go along with it," said Dawson, a career firefighter for the Cos Cob Fire Department. "We were concerned about the department and making sure this doesn't happen to our people again."

Warzoha said the money would go toward creating four additional deputy chief posts to address the panel's recommendation that new shift commanders be added to improve direction during firefighting operations. The money also would have paid for some training and leadership-development programs.

"All I know is that all the initial indications on this were positive," Warzoha said. "We'll have to see what happens."

First Selectman Jim Lash said he would urge the RTM to approve the money Monday night.

"The number one recommendation of the panel was to reorganize the command structure," Lash said. "I plan to tell the RTM that this is very important."

A detailed plan to hire the deputy chiefs, who would cost about $125,000 a piece, can't be finalized until the town completes its contract negotiations with the town's firefighter's union, Lash said. The firefighters contract expires on July 1.