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Norwalk Fire Department details tanker mutual-aid plan, station renovations, new equipment and training
Summary
At the Oct. 21 Fire Commission meeting, department leaders described a new tanker mutual-aid task force covering roughly 54 streets, progress on station renovations and SCBA upgrades, ongoing training exercises, and September inspection and public-education activity.
Norwalk Fire Department leaders updated the Fire Commission on a series of operations, equipment and training initiatives at the Oct. 21 meeting.
Assistant Fire Chief (Operations) Reardon described a newly executed tanker task-force mutual-aid plan intended to improve response in non-hydrant areas of Norwalk. The plan covers roughly 54 streets across West Norwalk, Silvermine and the Cranberry districts and provides for automatic dispatch of tankers from mutual-aid partners in Stamford, New Canaan, Darien and Wilton. Reardon said the task force and a revised standard operating procedure were developed over about six months and practiced during an Oct. 11 exercise at the community college that included mutual-aid partners and Norwalk command staff.
Reardon also said Tactical Unit 2 — a specialty rescue unit intended to accompany Rescue 2 and carry specialized rescue equipment — is nearing completion. He reported several serious extrication incidents in early October, including a Route 7 crash requiring about 25 minutes to free an entrapped driver, and two complex Interstate 95 extrications on Oct. 9 and Oct. 14. Reardon highlighted one Oct. 14 incident in which a construction-vehicle collision was mitigated because of the presence of an attenuator vehicle similar to one the department has put into service.
Assistant Chief of Administration Mark Conte reported on facility and equipment projects: Station 1’s apparatus-floor replacement is nearly complete and Truck 1 is scheduled to return to Station 1 this week; Station 4 conceptual drawings are finalized and two construction-management firms have been invited to interview, with an award and contract expected by year’s end; most overhead door replacements are finished, with one specialized door still pending; and the department received replacement SCBA harnesses earlier than expected and is awaiting remaining regulators before training and placing packs in service.
Deputy Chief Gagne reviewed current and upcoming training. Recent classes included shoring, truck-company operations (roof ventilation), engine-company hose-line work, and live-fire training for academy cadets. The department is changing its incident-reporting software from NFIRS to NARIS and will provide in-house briefings. Joint active-threat drills and “stop the bleeding” medical training are scheduled in November with police and EMS; full-scale scenarios will run Nov. 14, 17 and 21 at a vacant property on Glover Avenue.
Fire Marshal Donohue summarized September activity: 258 property inspections (including four large multi-site inspections totaling 684 units), two smoke-detector installations, 24 fire and life-safety plan reviews (transcript notes “for a total of 1,400”), nine investigations (seven fires and two code-hazard issues), renewal of three liquor licenses and monthly income of $1,595, plus multiple community public-education events.
Emergency Management Coordinator Deluca said September’s National Preparedness Month included joint public messaging with health and community partners, an expanded public-works open house, and upcoming winter-weather planning. Deluca also reported the Emergency Operations Center upgrade capital project is expected to be completed in early December.
Commissioners praised the training and community outreach; the commission asked staff to notify commissioners when live drills are scheduled so they can observe.
