Clinton- Meet your new Fire Chief Jeff Heser--new to his role as head of the town's volunteer fire department, but certainly not new to the town of Clinton.
Jeff's family, comprised of the Hesers and the Kelseys, can trace their roots way, way back. Roads (Kelseytown Road) and a pond (Heser Pond) were named after his relatives.
Jeff grew up in Clinton with his parents and sister, who lives nearby in Old Lyme. He attended the Glenwood, Pierson, Eliot, and Morgan schools. He graduated from Morgan in 1988. Jeff played soccer in junior high, and enjoyed wrestling in his senior year in high school.
While still in school, he spent many summers working at Clinton Nurseries. The love of the outdoors and the love of “fixing things” led Jeff to a career in the Clinton Public Works Department, where he has been a member for 18 years.
Another career love of Jeff's is the Clinton Volunteer Fire Department (CVFD), where he has also been a steady fixture for many years.
“I have been with the department for 13 years, and have been an officer for 10,” says Jeff, who was recently voted into the chief's position after the former chief, Scott Andrews, stepped down in October of 2005. At the time, Assistant Fire Chief Frank Schrempp, by default, was acting chief until a special election was held.
Andrews, who has been a member of the CVFD for 19 years, remains a firefighter.
As chief of the more than 100-member fire department, which also includes the ambulance and emergency medical services, Heser is president of the organization, responsible for the budget, capital projects, and other administrative duties.
He oversees committees such as the membership and by-laws committees, and he's the department's representative to Chief of Police Joseph Faughnan, First Selectman William “Willie” Fritz, the Board of Finance, and other town agencies and departments. He also goes out on 911 calls.
Many folks new to Clinton, especially those coming from larger towns and cities, may not know how a volunteer fire department operates.
“We are a private organization with our own membership,” says Jeff. “We receive a budget from the town, but we are our own entity.”
The leadership of the department is comprised of line officers including the chief, deputy chief, assistant chief, deputy chief of EMS (emergency medical services), caption of Station 1, 2, and EMS, and lieutenant of Co. 1, 2, aerial, rescue, marine, and three lieutenants for EMS.
To join the department, one usually either lives or works in Clinton.
“Most of our members live in Clinton, but a few of them work here during the day and live in a bordering town,” notes Jeff.
To join, you can start early and enter the Junior Firefighters Division, or join as an adult, as long as you can pass the physical requirements of the job.
“The department must comply with mandates and guidelines set by the F.F.I., NFPA, and OSHA,” says Jeff. “You need to pass a physical, and if you are not already trained, you need to be trained in a six-month program.”
Training is twice a week for five hours, plus a Saturday or Sunday, for about six months. Following training is a written exam and a practical exam.
“Upon completion of this, you are on a six-month probation with the department,” adds Jeff. “At the end of six months, you come before the department at our big monthly meeting and are voted in, or not.”
Many new members have a mentor, notes Jeff, who advises them on which programs they should take, such as defibrillation, blood-borne pathogens, and CPR classes.
“We hold as many classes as we can here at the firehouse,” Jeff says.
Jeff notes that his 100-member volunteer organization is one of the largest he has seen in years.
“In the last two years, a lot of people have joined our EMS division,” says Jeff.
Also, he says, the fire department is always actively recruiting for new members, sometimes during Fire Prevention Week held at the station and at local Clinton Chamber of Commerce events.
“We are a very family-oriented organization,” says Jeff. “We do lots of things for the volunteers' families at Easter, Halloween, and Christmas, for instance.”
Including the members' families in the department is an important step to the success of the overall group.
“Our firefighters spend a lot of time away from home, so we want to make sure that their families appreciate all they do,” says Jeff.
On the first Monday of every month, the fire department holds its all-members meeting. On the second Monday, they have a department drill; on the third Monday, each company has their own drill; and on the fourth Monday, the EMS meets.
Members of the CVFD must love what they do, as many of them have been a part of the organization for more than 20 years.
“Past Deputy Chief Frank Schrempp has been here for 25 or 26 years,” says Jeff. “There are several members with 20 years' of experience, and many who have been here for more than 15 years.”
With all that combined experience, one can expect that these firefighters have seen just about everything. Fate and luck sometimes play a role when these men and women are out on the job.
“Just yesterday there was a chimney fire at a home on Route 81,” says Jeff. “Lucky for us, a Westbrook firefighter was driving by the residence, looked up and saw an unusual amount of smoke coming from the chimney.”
That firefighter immediately called in the fire, and it was soon extinguished.
“If that Westbrook firefighter had not been driving by, or looking that way, in another half hour that fire would have extended into the residence,” says Jeff.
Jeff recalls another story when fate helped a young mother who was in the midst of labor.
“We received a 911 call from a four-year-old child who said his mother was having a baby right in their home,” recalls Heser. “We immediately responded to the home, where we found the mother who was in labor.”
Jeff says that the town's EMS transferred her to an ambulance, and drove her to the hospital where she delivered a healthy baby.
“It was amazing to us that a four-year-old knew the situation was serious and could call for help,” says Jeff.
Jeff is married to Paula, and they have a daughter, Paige, who is 3 _, and a son, Louis, who is one. Paula, who is from Guilford, met her future husband at Chip's Pub in Clinton.
“I was out with my cousin one night, and Paula was out with her cousin,” says Jeff, who will be married for five years in October.
The family dotes on “Tater,” a Bengal Siamese cat, who Jeff says is a natural hunter.
“My daughter named her “Tater” because she looks like a Tater-Tot,” jokes Jeff. “This is what happens when the kids name the pets.”