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 while the department retains ownership of its property, honor the tax-abatement program available to long-serving volunteer firefighters, and allow some stipend funds to be returned to the city during a transition period. "What was most remarkable to me...was the modest request that Torrington is making of the city," the mayor said.

Nut graf: The city and volunteer leaders say they want to preserve emergency coverage on the East End of Torrington while recognizing volunteer recruitment has declined despite recruiting efforts. The Board of Safety and city fire leadership described immediate follow-up steps that include staff cost estimates and internal meetings; the volunteer company plans to meet with its attorney to consider next steps.

Board members and fire command described years of recruitment efforts that yielded little recent success. City staff said the volunteer company had tried social media campaigns and mailings tied to tax bills but did not recruit new volunteers. "We ran it for almost three months, and not one single person joined the department because of that," a volunteer leader said. The mayor and commissioners acknowledged the demographic and economic changes that have made volunteering harder for residents who often work multiple jobs.

Deputy Chief Tripp and Chief Baldwin were present for the discussion; Chief Borden was absent. Deputy Chief Tripp said immediate items to study include the budget impact of placing a paid crew at the East End station, union considerations and how absorption of some volunteer functions would affect existing staffing. He told the board he would "crunch some numbers" to estimate costs and impacts.

City officials said they expect volunteer fire police duties could be absorbed either by the police traffic division or emergency management, but no final decision was made. "They are essential both for fire scenes and police scenes," a city official said, noting that maintaining trained personnel for traffic and scene control is a priority.

The volunteer company will meet with its membership and its attorney in the coming days; the Board of Safety said it will release a joint press statement with the volunteer department after the volunteer company speaks with its membership at 7 p.m. The mayor asked that the board and media hold the announcement until after the department meeting to avoid premature social-media dissemination.

The board recorded no policy votes on the substance of the volunteer company’s request during the special meeting. Commissioners and city fire leadership described the session as the start of a process that could include placing a paid crew at the East End station, identifying alternative station locations, or other options to preserve response coverage. City officials emphasized that any move would respect the volunteer department’s property rights and the intent of prior donor support.

Ending: The Board of Safety scheduled further discussion at an upcoming regular meeting and said staff would bring cost estimates and implementation options once the volunteer company completes its internal consultations and legal review. A one-line motion to adjourn was passed unanimously to close the special meeting.