West Hartford seeks permission to add three non-transport paramedic vehicles to reserve fleet

The West Hartford Fire Department asked a state hearing officer on April 3, 2025, to approve an application to operate three additional non-transport paramedic vehicles as reserve units to cover scheduled maintenance, repairs and special-event staffing.

The request matters because the vehicles would be added to the town’s existing advanced life-support (ALS) fire-based emergency medical service fleet and are intended to ensure continuity of 9-1-1 ALS coverage during repairs or other out-of-service periods.

At the hearing, Hearing Officer Aiden Baum entered four exhibits into the administrative record — the application dated 02/28/2025; an affidavit of Renee Halata dated 03/18/2025; the notice of hearing dated 03/17/2025; and a regional council recommendation for approval dated 04/03/2025 — and swore in witnesses. Baum then questioned department witnesses about service area, call volumes, staffing and the intended use of the new vehicles.

Lieutenant Rocco Lodato, the department’s emergency medical services officer, told the hearing officer that the West Hartford Fire Department currently operates five paramedic vehicles in 24/7 service and is authorized to operate 12 non-transport paramedic vehicles. “These are reserve vehicles,” Lodato said. “Whenever there is a vehicle breakdown or a need for repair or required scheduled maintenance, having the ability to go into the spare apparatus in an efficient amount of time enables us to make that changeover and have a very minimal, if any, impact on the 9-1-1 system to maintain operational readiness.”

Department data cited in the hearing show 7,824 EMS calls in the 12 months prior to the application and a projection of 8,002 calls in the coming 12 months. Lodato estimated ALS responses at “around, like, 6,500 or so.” The department said the vehicles will be staffed with current paramedic personnel and that the apparatus have already been purchased.

Greg Priest, identified at the hearing as the service chief for the West Hartford Fire Department, clarified address information for licensing and said the vehicles also will be used for staffing special events. “We do use the town of West Hartford’s address at 50 South Main, but we also have our licensing, I believe, at 95 Raymond Road,” Priest said, adding the special-event use case is reflected in the application.

The application included evidence of available capital equal to six months of operating expenses and required insurance documentation; the regional council reviewed the materials and recommended approval. Baum closed the public hearing record and said his office will issue a memorandum of decision with next steps.

No formal vote was taken at the hearing; the department awaits the hearing officer’s written decision before any licensing change takes effect.