Firefighter's dedication spans lifetime

By: Dorrance Johnson , Staff correspondent 09/29/2004

BRANFORD - A 26-year veteran of the town's career firefighting force and a descendant of Branford's well-known Klarman-Clancy clan, Deputy Fire Chief Michael Klarman has been a virtual "fixture" within the fire department as far back as anyone can remember. His career has been punctuated with accomplishments in firefighting and emergency medical service and he has garnered statewide recognition during the past several years for his unyielding efforts in the EMS, fire service and law enforcement training arenas. He is now also especially proud that his sons, Kevin and Stephen, have chosen to follow in his footsteps in the fire service, and that his daughters, Sharon and Kelly, intend to pursue careers in nursing, also maintaining the family tradition of helping others in their time of need. According to Klarman, his interest in the fire service spans decades and started when, as a typical youngster, he was attracted to the lure of the shiny fire engines that he saw racing through town with their sirens blaring and with a hearty band of seasoned smoke-eaters clinging to the back step. "When I was just a kid, I was fascinated by fire trucks," he said, also pointing out that he had the good fortune to live adjacent to the new fire headquarters facility as it opened in 1963, when he was an impressionable 7-year old. "When I heard the trucks go out, I would run over to the firehouse to see where they were going," he said while also explaining that he would often have his father drive him to the fire if it was out of bicycle-riding range. After counting the days until he was 16-years old and able to become a fire cadet, he joined the volunteers of the now defunct Headquarters Company 8 in Aug. 1972, and soon became an active firefighter at a time when "working fires" throughout the town were commonplace. Klarman quickly rose through the volunteer ranks serving Company 8 as a Lieutenant and a Captain while, at the same time, also serving with the department's "Rescue Squad 1," where he soon became certified as an Emergency Medical Technician. Known for his grit and determination, Klarman was appointed to the town's career firefighting force in 1978 and was the first EMT in their ranks. He continued to gain experience in his chosen field as the town grew and the fire department struggled to keep pace with the demands of a growing population and an explosion of commercial and residential development. "In 1981, I decided to share some of my knowledge and experience as an EMT with others so I attended an EMT instructor's training course at Central Connecticut State University," said Klarman, who also explained that, since that time, he has trained EMT and Medical Response Technicians throughout the state. He was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant in 1988, where he supervised the career firefighting force and faced the day-to-day challenges of making critical incident assessments and tactical fire ground decisions. At a fire scene, Klarman and his fire crews could always be found in "the belly of the beast," venturing into burning buildings far beyond what would seem to be reasonable to tackle the angry demon where he lied always thankfully emerging unscathed although drenched and covered with soot and grime. In 1995, he was promoted to "Deputy Chief of Operations," and continues to serve in that capacity along with his counterparts William Pepe, Ronald Mullen and Thomas Mahoney. Mentored in no small part by Dr. Sandy Bogucki of the Yale New Haven Hospital Department of Emergency Medicine, a nationally renowned EMS pioneer with whom he has been allied for years, he continued to hone his EMS skills and has conducted dozens of emergency medical technician and medical response technician training courses throughout the state personally certifying several hundred "first responders," who now serve the general public. Klarman recently rescinded his announced retirement from the department when his plans to become the Statewide EMS Educational Coordinator were found to be not in keeping with his expectations electing instead to continue in his present capacity with the Branford Fire Department. Kevin and Stephen Klarman, who each now serve as volunteers with Rescue Squad 1, both quite apparently regard their father as a role model and each say that they grew up listening to their father talk about his many experiences over the years which has served as an inspiration to them. Kevin currently aspires to become a career firefighter in the shoreline area and, at this point, Stephen's career path is less certain. During a recent shift at Fire Headquarters, Klarman reflected momentarily on what has been a career rich with accomplishments. He warmly embraced his sons and said, "I am very proud of these guys. They mean everything to me."

©Branford Review 2004