Torrington Board recognizes first certified driver, advances multi-department plans and funds feasibility study

The Torrington Board of Public Safety on March 5 promoted a longtime acting driver to the department's first formally tested driver, directed the police and fire five-year planning efforts back to the board’s policy subcommittee for development, accepted chiefs’ January reports and approved using $60,000 from capital reserve to start a facilities feasibility study.

The promotion recognized Elliot Bickford as the department’s first candidate to pass the written and oral exams for the driver position. Chief Bridal told the board that drivers “have to check the trucks out in the morning to make sure they're DOT safe” and that the pay difference “is not substantial compared to being a firefighter, but it's still something recognizing what they do.” Bickford stepped forward to receive a plaque and was sworn in during the meeting.

Why it matters: the five-year plans and the feasibility study shape staffing, apparatus needs and building investments across public safety departments. The board’s decision to refer draft plans back to the policy subcommittee and to fund a study signals movement from assessment toward concrete facility and staffing planning.

Five-year plans and policy referral

Commissioners reviewed summary bullet points of draft five-year plans submitted by the police and fire chiefs and agreed, by board consensus, to send those proposals to the policy subcommittee for further development and timelines.…