Groton Nixes Townwide Study Of Fire Protection |
The decision to abandon the study means the town will not continue |
By Katie Warchut |
| Groton-- The town will not proceed with a study of fire protection in the town's fire districts, after town councilors said it is not the town's job to get into the firefighting business. The need for the study grew out of a request in 2003 by the Poquonnock Bridge Fire District to consider consolidating fire services. In October, the Poquonnock Bridge Consolidation Committee determined it needed more information before making a recommendation, and decided the town should conduct an assessment of its current services. But when a written proposal for the study came before the council this week, Councilor Peter J. Bartinik Jr. said the independent fire districts may have a problem with the town encroaching on them. “I feel they would be threatened by this,” he said. And, even if the study yielded specific recommendations, Bartinik questioned what authority the town would have to compel the fire districts to comply. “Tell them our study says you should do this and this?” he asked. “We should let our fire chiefs decide if we're safe.” Town Manager Mark R. Oefinger said that fire chiefs may not necessarily admit there's a problem, if one exists. An impartial expert could better perform such an evaluation, he said. Oefinger said the town needs to answer the major questions: “Are we equally protected (across districts)? Where are our weaknesses? Are we overprotected?” “No one is looking from a town-wide perspective,” he said. Oefinger said that some fire departments are not the first to respond to incidents in their own districts. The Naval Submarine Base Fire Department is the only department that can respond anywhere in town because it has full-time personnel and all the proper equipment ready for use, he said. As a result, the town is heavily dependent on the service. “That, to me, is a little scary,” Oefinger said. Councilor John F. Scott IV said the study, which could cost up to $35,000, would only result in a consultant telling the fire districts they need to spend more money on equipment and personnel. The decision to abandon the study means the town will not continue to pursue the possible consolidation of the Poquonnock Bridge Fire District, Lee D. Vincent, assistant to the town manager, said. Poquonnock Bridge, which includes about 12,000 people, or 30 percent of the town's residents, and many businesses, faces more demands than the other fire districts. Vincent said interest in consolidation has been waning since new personnel arrived and the town had worked to alleviate problems. |