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Residents and volunteer chiefs press Norwich council over denied mutual-aid apparatus and volunteer reinstatement
Summary
An extended public-comment period focused on the city’s dispute with volunteer fire companies after residents and volunteer leaders said the city denied apparatus requested for a mutual-aid water fill site; speakers urged reinstatement of volunteers and clearer incident command procedures.
Mayor Singh presided over a March 16 Norwich City Council meeting where residents and volunteer fire leaders urged the council to restore mutual-aid cooperation after what several speakers described as the city denying a requested apparatus to serve as a water fill site during a recent Montville structure fire.
The nut graf: multiple speakers, including Deputy Chief Pete Clark of Laurel Hill and several longtime volunteers, described operational problems and local consequences they attribute to recent city decisions. Speakers cited an example in which an East Great Plains engine that could have served as a fill-site was not permitted to leave town, and called for clearer unified command, reinstatement of volunteer companies and greater transparency from city leadership.
Deputy Chief Pete Clark said he was “extremely disappointed the city denied valuable resources to respond,” recounting that the engine designated for a water fill site was kept from leaving and that tankers…
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