By Holly M. Pullano
Article Launched:11/08/2006 10:24:49 AM EST
http://www.fairfieldcitizen-news.com/
The Southport Volunteer Fire Department has withdrawn its request for an immediate hearing at which it would have asked a Bridgeport Superior Court judge to order the Town of Fairfield to dispatch the SVFD to emergency calls.
According to Roberto T. Lucheme, an attorney representing the SVFD, the lawsuit originally was filed in response to a resolution adopted during the Oct. 12 meeting of the Fire Commission, which has placed the SVFD out of service and unable to respond to calls.
But although the volunteer department is not being dispatched to emergency calls, Fire Chief Richard Felner emphasized that the Fairfield Fire Department remains in service at both the Southport and Stratfield stations and will continue to provide full protection to residents.
The Southport volunteer department, also known as Squad 14, has aided the career department in responding to emergency situations since 1895, while the Stratfield volunteer department has been in service since 1920. Both the career firefighters and the volunteers occupy the fire stations located at 69 Main St. in Southport and 400 Jackman Ave. in Fairfield.
During the Oct. 12 meeting, the commissioners unanimously adopted the resolution, which mandated that all volunteer departments comply with stringent training and certification requirements and provide current documentation to the town proving that individual members are fit and trained to serve.
The intent of filing the lawsuit, according to Lucheme, was to get the SVFD back into service as quickly as possible. "We're looking to get the dispatch restored, not just for ourselves, but for the people we serve," Lucheme said. "For us, the ultimate goal is to work as a cohesive fire department."
On Monday, First Selectman Ken Flatto conducted a press conference in response to the withdrawal of the SVFD's request. "The town had prepared for this hearing and fully believed the mandamus motion for immediate reinstatement was absolutely baseless and unwarranted," Flatto said in his statement.
Flatto went on to explain that Town Attorney Richard Saxl had been prepared to prove in court that the Fire Commission's decision to withhold dispatch of the SVFD until it provided documentation has had "simply no impact" on fire protection for the town and its residents.
Yesterday morning, Lucheme explained that due to "ongoing negotiations" with the town, the SVFD had decided to withdraw its request in the hopes of resolving the issue outside of court. "On Friday, both parties had a productive discussion, and as a motion of good faith, we didn't go forward [with the hearing] on Monday," Lucheme said. "We are hopeful that everyone will come to an agreement."
Meanwhile, Flatto was likewise hopeful that the issues regarding the SVFD would be resolved, but added that "everyone should know that the town cannot negotiate its principles away, nor do anything that is not in the best interests of Southport and Southport's citizens."
"The town has told the SVFD that all of the town's fire department protocols, regulations and emergency dispatch procedures must be completely complied with at all times," Flatto added. "There is no negotiation or compromise on this issue of public safety of all of the residents of Fairfield, including Southporters."
According to Saxl, the new policy officially puts in writing that there can be no dispatch of any volunteer vehicle until the town receives all of the required documentation, which includes a checklist of training requirements and certifications for each volunteer firefighter.
According to the resolution, all active fire volunteers must have all of the required current and valid certifications, with up-to-date copies on file with the town.
In addition to the list of training requirements, the policy mandates that any truck dispatched by the town must be manned with only active volunteer members that have all required training documents on file with the town. In addition, at least one volunteer must be certified as an EMT and at least one qualified driver with the appropriate license shall drive any such truck.
The resolution effectively placed both the Southport and Stratfield volunteer departments temporarily out of commission and unable to be dispatched or respond to all emergency calls, according to Fire Chief Richard Felner.
Since the Oct. 12 meeting, the Stratfield volunteer department has been restored to service after several members turned in required documentation to the town, according to Felner, but Southport remains unable to be dispatched until full documentation is submitted.
"We're prepared to do what we said we would do all along to allow them to return to service once all of their paperwork is turned in to the town," Saxl said yesterday. "The rules haven't changed."
Complete and up-to-date training and certification are important not only for the protection of the volunteers, but also for the protection of the residents they are serving in an emergency situation, Felner explained. Additionally, the documentation is for the protection of the town, which is liable for any worker's compensation claim submitted by a volunteer who is injured.
The repeated requests for paperwork eventually came to a head following a Sept. 1 letter from Saxl to the SVFD, which stated the department had until Sept. 30 to submit all required paperwork to the town.
According to Fire Commission Chairman Ralph Money, Saxl's Sept. 1 letter followed an ongoing series of requests from both Saxl and the commission. However, the SVFD has repeatedly failed to turn in complete documentation to the town, Money said.
According to Flatto at Monday's press conference, the SVFD has "furnished false and incomplete training documents for the past year and a half."
In the summary sheets that documented training procedures that were submitted to the Fire Commission by the SVFD, the vast majority of the volunteer firefighters had missing documents indicating that many key basic regulations had not been fulfilled.
Out of all 20 SVFD members, there were only three volunteers who had fulfilled the requirements based on those documents given to the career department to date, according to Flatto and Saxl at the press conference.
Both Flatto and Felner also stated at the conference that the Fairfield Fire Department has funded numerous training programs, including the hazardous materials operational training.
"We are disturbed and angry at the response because we have bent over backwards to offer the volunteer firefighters the chance to get caught up on their training," Flatto said. "The representatives are saying that the firefighters have been trained, but that is factually not the case."
Yesterday, Lucheme pointed out that the SVFD never has been in opposition to the resolution adopted by the Fire Commission. "We want to make it clear that we never objected to the health and safety requirements," Lucheme said. "It's basically an issue of who's going to pay for the training."
Meanwhile, Flatto was hopeful that a consensus could be reached between the SVFD and the career department, so that the volunteers could continue "the long tradition of helping the town."
"We'd love to have them back in service, but right now the ball is in their court," Flatto said yesterday. "They need to initiate a healing process, because they've caused a lot of damage."
Lucheme was equally hopeful. "I hope this gets resolved quickly, because like a fire, an issue like this should not be allowed to linger."
Staff Reporter Cassandra Heller contributed to this report.