By Daniel Drainville
The Day
NORWICH, Conn. — The city has shut down the Yantic Fire Engine Co. No. 1, one of the city’s five volunteer departments, stating that the 179-year-old department has not complied with the city’s Unified Command " directive.
The directive, which was announced last August by City Manager John Salomone and City Fire Chief Sam Wilson, was designed to unify the paid and volunteer fire services, by decreasing fragmentation between the paid and volunteer staff. In addition to establishing a new command structure with Wilson at the top, the directive standardized training, communications and emergency response protocols for both paid and volunteer fire services in the city.
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But, not all volunteer departments have agreed with the directive, and the way it’s been implemented. Yantic has led that charge.
“I think the root of the problem is we don’t want to be under this Norwich fire service umbrella, and again, we want to retain our autonomy,” Yantic Volunteer Chief Bobby Allen said, standing next to trucks inside the department Tuesday afternoon. “We have our officers. We run our district, our section of Norwich .”
On Monday night, at 7:31 p.m., Salomone sent an email to Allen stating that if he did not sign an agreement by 10 a.m. Tuesday stating that he would comply with the directive, the Yantic department would face enforcement action.
This included removing the department from 911 emergency responses, freezing its funding and reallocating its fire equipment, which is owned by the city.
The first two of those enforcement actions have occurred, Salomone and Wilson said Tuesday. City fire personnel attempted to get into the Yantic Fire Department Tuesday to repossess the fire trucks, but were locked out.
The Yantic district is now being covered by city firefighters, Wilson and Salomone said.
“We put a staffed engine company out, centrally, in the Yantic District,” Wilson said. “So they’re going to be more centrally located. And then they’re also staffing out there, which is not something that Yantic typically provides. They’re a volunteer organization. So, there’s actually been an increase in coverage out in that community.
Salomone said the Yantic department can resolve the issue by signing the agreement. The Yantic department though has just filed a lawsuit challenging the city’s action.
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