Torrington volunteer fire company says staffing shortfalls force change; city to consider placing paid crew

Leaders of the Torrington Volunteer Fire Department (Station 24) told the City of Torrington on Thursday that chronic volunteer shortages have left the company unable to safely staff emergency calls and asked the city to work with them on a transition that preserves East End coverage.

The request came during a special virtual meeting of the Board of Safety called to receive the volunteer company’s letter. "We can't man a truck during the day, because of people working," Jim Potter, president of the Torrington Volunteer Fire Department (Station 24), said. "At nighttime ... you might get two or three people show up for a call maybe, but we're just concerned that they're not trained well enough. They don't have enough experience, and it just has gotten to the point where we're very concerned about the liability to us and to the city."

The mayor (name not specified) told the board the department has served the community for 68 years and described the volunteer leadership’s request as modest: allow the city to establish a presence at the volunteer station…