Bridgeport Fire Chief Brian Rooney helps (CQ) Quinne Wright of Bridgeport install a
smoke detector at 212/214 Wilmont
Avenue in Bridgeport. (Phil Noel/Connecticut Post )
Article Last Updated: 12/17/2007 12:23:03 AM EST
Bridgeport Fire Chief Brian Rooney helps
(CQ) Quinne Wright of Bridgeport install a
smoke detector at 212/214 Wilmont
Avenue in Bridgeport. (Phil Noel/Connecticut Post )
Brian P. Rooney, a 36-year veteran of the Bridgeport Fire Department, was appointed chief in May 2006. He oversees 322 firefighters, 16 civilians and a budget of about $22 million.
Last week, Rooney was interviewed about the city's free smoke detector installation program while in the field on the city's East Side.
With renewed attention on the critical role smoke detectors can play in the aftermath of the Dec. 7 fire on Fairfield Avenue that claimed three lives, fire officials are promoting a local program that provides free detectors and installation to any Bridgeport resident.
The Fire Department partners in the "Safe Asleep" program with the Mid-Fairfield County chapter of the American Red Cross and the local AmeriCorps branch.
Established in May 2005, it was initially offered only to senior citizens and families with young children. It has expanded and is now open to all city residents, free of charge.
Since then, more than 12,000 smoke alarms have been installed by AmeriCorps employees.
To order a free smoke detector through the Safe Asleep program, call 335-8835.
Q: What's your biggest challenge that you face as Bridgeport's fire chief?
A: "The biggest challenge has been in influx of various immigrant populations — and many of them are apprehensive about talking to the police and fire departments."
Q: So how can you reach out to them?
A: "Well, right now we're trying to reach them through the churches in the community to tell them about fire safety — and also the fact that we have a free smoke detector installation program."
Q: There also is a lot of new housing going up in the city. Many, many are in industrial buildings being converted into condominiums. Is this going to put a strain on your department?
A: "Not quite as much. The new housing comes with a lot more safety features, such as standpipes, sprinklers and so forth. But yes, we are concerned, because these will be densely populated."
Q: I hear you're getting a new fireboat. Can you tell us about that?
A: "Sure. By the end of January, we should be getting a new 28-foot fireboat with a capacity of 750 gallons per minute. It's something we've never had before — and it will provide protection to watercraft, marinas, yacht clubs, those 'tank farms,' and also it can be used for rescues on the Sound."
Q: How much did it cost? Where did the money come from?
A: "It was $270,000. It didn't cost the city anything. We got it from a grant from the Department of Homeland Security."
Q: What about staff training for the fireboat?
A: "We're working with Milford Fire Department. They have a very similar boat. We'll be training firefighters from three different fire companies."
Q: Are you worried with the holidays coming?
A: "Yes. Christmas is a very big concern for us. Once a tree dries out, it can go up in a matter of seconds. And may people are using the same light sets that they've been using for years — even after mice and insects have eaten away at the insulation.
"And candles — on Christmas, there are more candle fires than on any other day of the year. They get knocked over by pets, they catch curtains on fire.
"If you don't have a candle, you won't miss it, and you won't regret it."
Q: What was your worst day?
A: "When I first started on the job, we had a fire on the East Side that killed three children. There was a backdraft — we didn't use that word back then, but that's what it was. A wall of orange. One firefighter lost his hands. That was the worst day."
Q: It's grim work, but did anything funny ever happen?
A: "Actually, yes. We went out on a rescue — a car had flipped over on Park Avenue and the driver was still inside. We have a tool called a Hurst Tool, sometimes called the Jaws of Life. He heard us say, 'Get the Hurst,' and he yells out from inside the car, 'No, not a hearse! I'm not dead!'"
Q: Your goal?
A: "My goal is to get a smoke alarm into every home in the city of Bridgeport."
— JOHN BURGESON