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Norwalk Fire handled 767 incidents in December; TAC1 and ballistic vests now in service
Summary
Assistant Chief McCabe reported 767 incidents in December 2024 and year totals of 8,427 incidents. A new highway-response vehicle (TAC1) is in service and ballistic vests and tactical gear are deployed for firefighters. The department detailed two recent fires: Garden Park Motel and a house fire on Cindy Lane.
Assistant Chief McCabe told the Norwalk Board of Fire Commissioners that December 2024 saw 767 incidents — an average of almost 25 per day — and that the department recorded 8,427 incidents for the 2024 calendar year with 13,214 total company responses.
McCabe said incident breakdowns for December included 16 fires (six building fires), 38 rescues (31 motor vehicle accidents), 417 EMS responses, 36 hazardous conditions, 36 service calls, 71 good-intent/ smoke scares, and 153 fire alarms. For 2024 overall, he reported a daily incident average of about 23.09 and a company-response daily average of 36.21.
On apparatus, McCabe said TAC1, a new highway blocking/response vehicle, is in service on I‑95, the Merritt Parkway and the Route 7 connector; it has responded to eight calls so far in January and is projected, based on past statistics, to handle about 250 calls in 2025.
McCabe also said the rescue company has been added to all carbon-monoxide alarm activations to provide redundant meter readings and backup for engine companies, and that new ballistic vests and tactical gear are now in service so every firefighter on shift has the equipment available for incidents where Norwalk Police request additional protection.
Notable incidents: McCabe described a Jan. 3 structure fire at the Garden Park Motel, 351 Westport Avenue, in which a 12‑unit motel had heavy smoke along the ridgeline; a second-alarm assignment extinguished the fire in 45 minutes, two occupants were moved to non‑impacted units, and there were no civilian or firefighter injuries. He also described a Jan. 14 house fire at 8 Cindy Lane, extinguished in about 30 minutes by a first-alarm assignment; two occupants evacuated prior to arrival and no injuries were reported.
Why it matters: the statistics underpin staffing and apparatus deployment decisions, the TAC1 deployment targets highway incidents, and the ballistic gear addresses responder safety at high-risk scenes.
Speakers: Assistant Chief McCabe.
